As the flu season nears its end in Indiana, the H1N1 flu virus continues to quietly circulate across the state.
And state officials once again urged Hoosiers to get vaccinated if they haven’t already as the virus is likely here to stay.
Since the Indiana State Department of Health began tracking the virus’s activity last summer, 39 people have died from complications related to the H1N1 flu virus.
But the last H1N1-related death was at least a month ago, said Dr. James Howell, the state’s assistant commissioner for public health and preparedness, during a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Of the 1.3 million doses of vaccine given in Indiana since October, more than half were given to children and young adults.
But many children 10 and younger did not get the second dose required to provide full immunity, said Dr. Joan Duwve, the department’s medical director.
This year’s first round of shots also will help protect children and adults next fall when the virus is expected to re-emerge, officials said.
State health officials were pleased that more than half of the state’s health care workers were vaccinated – a record high compared with typical rates for seasonal flu shots, Duwve said.
But vaccination rates among pregnant woman (30 percent) and adults with chronic health problems (13 percent) were low, she said.
Duwve said the state health department could improve its efforts to target adults with chronic health problems. Officials would liked to have seen higher vaccination rates because those patients are more susceptible to complications and death when they are sick with the flu.
“There is still time,” she said.
Overall, 10.8 percent of Hoosiers have been vaccinated to protect against the virus – more than the national average, Duwve said.
Indiana was among the first states to receive vaccine shipments in October, she said, allowing it to get in the hands of local health officials and local doctors faster, helping to curb the spread of the flu.
“I think we’ve done very well,” Howell said of the state’s overall response to the flu pandemic. “In many areas we’ve done better than a lot of states.”
Though the risk for contracting the flu currently is low, vaccination will help build immunity for the next flu season. Howell said getting the vaccine is especially important for those at high risk of complications like pregnant women or adults with chronic health issues.
The H1N1 flu virus affected children and young adults more than any other age group. Typically, the seasonal flu takes a greater toll on elderly Hoosiers.
Indiana schools reported high absentee rates, and a local charter school closed for a few days. The flu also rippled through college campuses when students returned to school last fall.
