Flu-shot demand jumps
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
More than 200 people showed up at Longs Drugs in Wahiawa yesterday to get their flu shot.
A couple of weeks ago on a Saturday at Kahala Mall, 900 people formed a line that snaked from Longs out the door all the way to California Pizza Kitchen.
And 2,500 people got flu shots at the recent Seniors Fair at Blaisdell Center.
Around the state, about twice as many Hawai'i folks as last year may be rolling up their sleeves to get immunized.
• Flu, or influenza, is a highly infectious disease of the lungs that can lead to pneumonia. Each year, it leads to hospitalization for about 114,000 people in the United States, and about 36,000 deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. • Flu shots are available at doctors' offices, clinics and in many retail stores and businesses. • Flu shoots are free for adults 18 years and older with HMSA or Medicare Part B (available to age 65 and older) coverage. The charge for others is about $20. • Adults in the United States miss 70 million workdays each year because of the flu. That costs the country more than $14 billion in physician visits, lost productivity and lost wages, according to HMSA. • For a flu vaccination schedule, call the state Department of Health Immunization Program at 586-8332 or visit www.state.hi.us/doh/ • For more information about the disease, vaccine and other resources, check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at www.cdc.gov/nip/Flu/
ISI Health Enhancement Services, which handles immunizations at Longs Drugs statewide, said it had administered about 9,500 flu shots, compared with 5,000 last year.
Flu facts
The company is a subsidiary of HMSA, one of the state's largest healthcare organizations.
ISI manager Lloyd Kishi said he wasn't sure what was behind the sharp increase, but he thinks more people are seeing the wisdom of trying to prevent illness that can sideline them for days.
"A lot of people I know have been getting sick," said 'Aiea resident Dorothy Arbuckle. "I guess it's better safe than sorry."
Arbuckle was among the hundreds in Wahiawa yesterday hoping to ward off illness in what is expected to be a busy flu season. This was only the second time she'd received a flu shot.
Arbuckle, who is retired, doesn't want to get sick because she helps take care of her grandchildren, and figures she'll be facing enough colds and other ailments without needing to worry about the flu. "As soon as they start school, they come home with everything," she said.
The state health department does not track the number of flu shots given each year, but agrees that the numbers are up.
Kishi said significantly more senior citizens are getting the shots this year, though he did not have statistics by age.
In earlier years, he said the breakdown was about half seniors and half younger working people.
The shots his company offers are free to HMSA members 18 years and older and people with Medicare Part B (available to ages 65 and older).
Esther Vierra, 74, of Wahiawa, said she and her friends are getting the shots more regularly because they are more aware of various diseases. "You want to be safe," she said.
Charlie Lam, 45, said he started getting the shots "because I'm getting older." Lam works as a mechanic for the postal service and lives in Mililani. "I remember how bad it used to be," Lam said. "I haven't had the flu in 10 years."
Judy Strait-Jones of the state health department's immunization program said the reasons for the upswing are varied: The shots are recommended now from 6 months of age; some people are aware it was a bad flu year in Australia and New Zealand, where the season begins months before; and this year there is no shortage of vaccine.
Strait-Jones said the numbers also got a boost from "a comprehensive educational campaign" the department is running with the help of community partners through print, radio and television announcements.
Aloha United Way also continues to inform people about the shot schedule through the 211 information referral phone number, she said
Tracy Ayers, state influenza surveillance coordinator, said the flu season in Hawai'i is off to a slow start, which means people still have time to get immunized and help prevent the disease.
For the last 20 years, Hawai'i's flu season has peaked in February. Ayers said the department had identified five cases of flu since Oct. 1, the official start of flu season — the same rate as last year.
Wahiawa construction worker Richard Rivera headed to Longs for a flu shot yesterday as part of an annual routine. "Try not to get sick; try to stay healthy," he summed up. And now his 11-year-old daughter, Kehau, said she was thinking prevention and probably would get a flu shot at her next medical visit.
Kishi expects about 600 people to show up for shots today at Longs Manoa, 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 6 p.m.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
