MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Concerned about apparent confusion between traditional seasonal flu and a possible avian flu pandemic, U.S. health officials stressed Monday that avian flu is not yet affecting humans to a great degree and has not yet arrived in the country.
"Our nation has recently been focused on avian or bird flu and the threat it presents for a future worldwide pandemic," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said at a news conference. "I want to emphasize that we do not have a human flu pandemic right now."
"Avian flu or H5N1 is still primarily a disease among animals," Leavitt said. "Human deaths have been almost exclusively among humans who came into contact with infected birds. The virus has not shown itself to be easily transmitted from person to person and, unless it does, will not result in pandemic."
Leavitt was fresh from a tour of Southeast Asia, where outbreaks of avian flu have been documented in the last two years. Millions of birds have been destroyed to limit spread of the flu, which has been blamed for an estimated 65 deaths. Leavitt left the press conference early to attend the Global Pandemic Influenza Readiness conference in Ottawa, Canada, with 30 health ministers and heads of other global health organizations.
Thanks to repeated exposure and immunizations, humans usually have some immunity to the traditional seasonal flu, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But that's not the case with a pandemic that could result from a strain like H5N1 avian flu -- hence the unusual amount of attention the bird flu threat has been getting.
Leavitt urged people to shift their focus from the unlikely potential of a pandemic this year to the very real threat posed by regular seasonal flu.
"Today, I want to focus on something that confronts all of us right now. That is the annual winter flu," he said. "The seasonal flu kills an average of 36,000 Americans every year. It sends some 200,000 to the hospital and costs countless lost days of school and work. Much of this can be prevented by the simple act of getting a flu shot."
"The flu shot does not provide protection against avian flu, which is a separate question," he added.
Monday marked the first day that seasonal flu shots were recommended for the general public. Up until now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had urged that priority be given to high-risk individuals, including the elderly, the very young, the chronically ill and health-care workers.
"There is no reason for anyone to delay or go without it," Leavitt said. "The vaccine is available and supply for flu season is good."
Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association, added that "it's especially important for patients with asthma to get the flu vaccine because a case of the flu in someone who has asthma can be very, very serious. The vaccine is effective, it's safe and it'll save emergency room visits, hospitalization and probably deaths." Edelman was not at the press briefing.
Officials attending the press conference acknowledged previous reports that some local doctors and clinics were experiencing shortages of flu vaccine.
"The issue this year is not vaccine shortage, however, there are some locations where physicians have not received vaccine because it was purchased from [manufacturer] Chiron or they were not first in line," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the CDC. "We are sorry for what is going on in some doctors' offices. We're asking people to be patient."
Leavitt added: "We recommend that people call their physicians before they go, and be persistent and patient. It's important."
Officials said it's still too early to predict what kind of flu season this will shape up to be.
"We're very early in the flu season this year. We're seeing very sporadic activity in seven states, and one state with local activity, but it's way at the very early stages. So it's difficult to predict how severe the season will be, when it will take off, and when it will peak, and what ultimately the spectrum of impact will be," Gerberding said.
All four vaccine manufacturers are already shipping supplies. "We anticipate at least 70 million doses and certainly more, but we just don't know what the final Chiron shipment will be," Gerberding said.
Sanofi Pasteur is scheduled to provide 60 million doses; MedImmune (which makes a nasal spray vaccine), 3 million doses; GlaxoSmithKline, 8 million doses; and Chiron, up to 18 million doses, officials said.
Problems at Chiron's manufacturing plant in England last year resulted in severe shortages of vaccine in the United States. Renewed manufacturing problems will result in a less-than-expected output from the company this year as well.
While the vaccine is the first line of defense, officials stressed that anti-viral medications can be used for early treatment and, in some cases, for prevention of the flu. Four such medications are available in the United States: Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), Relenza (zanamivir), Symmetrel (amantadine), and Flumadine (rimantadine).
Three of these antivirals (TamiFlu, Relenza and Flumadine) are also being stockpiled in the event of an avian flu pandemic. Other measures are being taken as well, the officials said.
"We're preparing by building stockpiles of antivirals, producing a vaccine, improving international surveillance networks, and increasing preparedness at the federal, state and local level," Leavitt said. "The administration will soon lay out a strategy for pandemic."
Federal officials also raised the specter of possible counterfeit versions of Tamiflu, although none has yet been identified.
"It is a situation that is ripe for counterfeiting," Leavitt said. "We are seeing it in many other instances."
The officials were unable to say how consumers could protect themselves against the prospect of counterfeit drugs. However, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, suggested patients "avail themselves of this medication in the context of the appropriate doctor-patient relationship."
More information
The CDC has more on the flu.
