New Katrina Worry: Flu

Federal officials are urging that high-risk groups get their flu shots first this year, particularly Hurricane Katrina evacuees and the elderly.

Evacuees in shelters and people in nursing homes are at higher risk of catching the illness while living in the close quarters, explains The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay.

Officials are recommending that only high-risk groups seek out flu shots until Oct. 24, and that all others who want a flu shot wait until Oct. 25 or later. A proposed rule would require nursing homes to offer flu and pneumonia shots beginning Oct. 1.

Other high risk groups are people 65 and older, people in long-term care facilities, people with asthma, diabetes and other conditions, children between six months and 23 months, pregnant women, and health care workers who come in direct contact with patients.

Each year, approximately 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu, and 36,000 die. The best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each fall.

In an ideal world, there would be enough vaccine available for anyone who wants to get a shot.So far, says Senay, the vaccine supply outlook is good for the new flu season, although it's too early to predict exactly how much flu vaccine will be available this year.

Last year, there was a surprise shortage when British regulators shut down vaccine manufacturer Chiron, due to contamination problems.

This year, Senay points out, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says Chiron has made progress toward correcting those problems, and the company is expected to provide between 18 and 26 million doses.

In addition, Sanofi-Aventis expects to produce between 50 and 60 million doses of its Fluzone vaccine for the U.S., and the FDA recently approved a new influenza vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline's Fluarix, with eight million doses expected this year. Three million doses of the nasal spray Flumist vaccine will also be available.

The flu shot doesn't protect against all strains of flu, Senay cautions. Each year, the shot contains a combination of vaccines for the flu strains expected to be the most active, based on flu activity during the previous season.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop immunity against the flu strains included in the vaccine. October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but it's still useful, even if you wait until December and later.

Flu season begins as early as October and can last into May.