Health boss: It’s not too late to get vaccinated

People have been asking me if it’s too late to get the H1N1 flu vaccine to do any good.

As a doctor, a father and the commissioner of health, this question concerns me.

The answer is no, that it is absolutely not too late to get vaccinated.

H1N1 is still killing people. It is still hospitalizing people. The virus is still circulating. We have a powerful tool in our arsenal against it – a vaccine that is safe, effective and now plentiful.

People who have not been vaccinated should do so now.

We are concerned about what might be around the corner, especially if people lose interest in being vaccinated and another wave of illness hits us harder, faster and stronger because we became complacent.

We have weathered two major waves of the illness so far, one last spring and one last Fall. We have a window of opportunity before a possible third wave. Now is the perfect time to get vaccinated.

We certainly don’t know what to expect from H1N1 flu. It is unpredictable. It might come back with a vengeance tomorrow. It might disappear in the Spring.

From past pandemics, we know that a resurgence of H1N1 early this year is possible. We need to stay ahead of it. It’s easier and smarter to prevent an illness than to combat it once it has already taken hold.

Predicting the severity and occurrence levels of any flu is fairly impossible.

Traditional flu season is from October through mid- May. The highest levels of seasonal flu in Texas usually occur in January and February — but not always.

H1N1 only appeared last April. We don’t know yet if it will follow any seasonal pattern, and much hinges on the natural immunity that the population is build- ing up.

Texas has been on the front lines since the H1N1 virus was first identified in the U.S. last year. We reported some of the first cases and unfortunately the first deaths in the country.

In October, we began distributing the initial limited supply of vaccine using an unprecedented, highly targeted system through our state heal department. We have been diligently tracking deaths and hospitalizations of those with H1N1.

People who choose not to get vaccinated put themselves and those around them at risk, especially babies younger than six months old who are too young for the vaccination.

Nearly 200 babies younger than six months have been hospitalized with H1N1 in Texas. Sadly, deaths have occurred in every age group, young and old.

Though most H1N1 illnesses have been relatively mild, no flu should be dismissed as “just the flu.”

Dr. David Lackey is commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.