Dr. Andrew Rutherford gives Tucker Williams a flu shot Thursday morning at Gulfview Walk-in Clinic off County Line Road in Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL - Tucker Williams waited calmly in the offices of Gulfview Walk-in Clinic Thursday morning. There wasn't a look of fear in his eyes as he watched the doctor slowly slide a needle into his left arm.

Williams isn't one of those people terrified of needles. He even makes it a point to get a particular shot every year — his flu shot.

"I just don't want to get the flu," he said.

With the peak of flu season quickly approaching, pharmacies, doctor's offices and walk-in clinics are stocking up on flu vaccinations, and Hernando County Health Department officials are urging the importance of keeping up with annual shots.

Ann-Gayl Ellis, public information officer for the health department, said she recommends anyone over the age of six months to get a flu shot once a year. This year the shot combines a flu vaccination with a H1N1 vaccination in the same dose.

With the scare of the H1N1 virus dwindling, Ellis is concerned people may overlook the importance of getting the shot, even with the convenience of the flu and H1N1 vaccinations given together.

Between 35,000 and 40,000 doses of H1N1 were administered in Hernando County between October 2009 and April 2010. These vaccinations were administered by the health department, private doctors offices, hospitals and other health care providers.

"People felt it was a lot of fluff about nothing, but it was very important that we did the outreach we did because it could've been worse," Ellis said. "The idea was to be proactive."

Dr. Andrew Rutherford, with Gulfview Walk-in Clinic off County Line Road, said even though there might not be as much fear of catching the H1N1 virus this year, everyone should still receive the shot, especially the elderly and children.

"The H1N1 virus might not have been as bad as we thought it was going to be last year, but you never know what the virus is going to do year after year," Rutherford said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, peaking in January or later.

Ellis said flu shots can be given as soon as the vaccinations become available, with the benefits lasting through the entire flu season. Although fall is the ideal time to receive the vaccination, Ellis encourages receiving shots even if it's as late as December or January.

"We never say it's too early or it's too late. If you wait until December, that's OK because having some vaccination in your system is better than nothing," she said.

CVS pharmacist Nicole Bennett said flu vaccinations arrived at the pharmacy in late August and she has been giving shots since the beginning of September, a month earlier compared to last year.

Since last flu season, Bennett said she has seen the number of people receiving flu shots double.

"There could be a variety of reasons as to why we've seen an increase, but this is our first year allowing walk-ins and people like having the availability of a pharmacist on a daily basis," Bennett said.

Ellis said flu shots at most doctor's offices or walk-in clinics range from $20 to $35 for those without insurance. Gulfview Walk-in Clinic offers flu shots for $30.

Flu shots are available at Walgreens Pharmacy for $29.99 while CVS Pharmacy gives 10 percent off store merchandise with every $29.95 flu shot.

Winn-Dixie Pharmacy offers flu shots for $28 or $48 for a higher dose vaccine for those 65 years or older. Five dollar discounts are offered by presenting a Winn-Dixie card.

Ellis said the best way to avoid catching the flu is to wash hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, stay home when sick and get vaccinated every year.

"A lot of people trudge through and continue going to work and sending their kids to school," she said. "The problem with that is that you risk spreading it to others."

Common flu symptoms include fever, coughing and/or sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and/or body aches, chills or fatigue.

It can be difficult to determine the difference between the flu and the common cold.

While fever, body aches, extreme tiredness and a dry cough are more common in the flu and can be more intense, a runny or stuffy nose is more commonly associated with the cold. Seeing a doctor within the first few days of symptoms can help determine the difference.

Reporter Hayley Mathis can be reached at 352-544-5225 or hmathis@hernandotoday.com.

Swine flu vaccine arrives in Pasco County:

By Lisa Buie, Times Staff Writer
Friday, October 16, 2009

Medical assistant Cindy Morris inhales the intranasal H1N1 flu vaccine being administered Thursday by Gulf View Walk-In Clinic office manager Naza Martic. The mist version of the swine flu vaccine is recommended for healthy people ages 2 to 49.

The first wave of swine flu vaccine is arriving in Pasco County, with the supply being sent to doctors who treat patients in high risk groups, such as children.

"We received our first FluMist doses last week in Pasco County," said Dr. Karalee Kulek-Luzey, medical director of the Pediatric Health Care Alliance, which operates 13 offices across the Tampa Bay area, including two in central Pasco County. "Most of our families being offered it are interested in receiving it."

Hillsborough and Pinellas offices expected to get them by today. Each office is getting an initial supply of about 200, with more arriving each week.

So far, most offices receiving the vaccine have gotten only FluMist, the form inhaled through the nose. That form has been deemed safe for healthy patients ages 2 through 49.

Pregnant women and patients with weakened immune systems or underlying problems such as asthma should not take it.

About 2,500 doses of the injectable form of the vaccine arrived Thursday at the Pasco County Health Department, spokeswoman Deanna Krautner said.

"The vaccine that we receive in house is redistributed out into the community on the same day," she said.

Doses are being sent to offices that serve high-risk groups targeted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: children, health care workers and pregnant women.

Krautner said the Health Department expects to set up its own clinics by early November. Eventually there should be enough vaccine for anyone who wants it.

Providers who need less than 100 doses can get them from the county Health Department, while those needing more order it directly from the state.

The vaccine arrives at a time when the H1N1 has hit hard in Florida. The state's death toll has climbed to 121, according to figures released Thursday.

About 52 inmates were under quarantine at the Pasco County jail for a week after an inmate tested positive for swine flu Oct. 7. The quarantine was lifted Wednesday after no new cases appeared.

The inhaled vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women or patients with weakened immune systems.

A handful of walk-in clinics recently received FluMist.

Some area obstetricians have not received the vaccine yet but expect to.

Now, the most plentiful version available is FluMist, and "our pregnant ladies can't take that," said Sylvia Felker, clinical manager at Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Brandon, which is part of the Tampa Bay Women's Care group that includes offices in New Port Richey.

Dr. Terri McEndree of A Place for Women in Zephyrhills said her group is getting a supply but didn't know how much.

"We haven't gotten them physically yet, but I can't wait until we do," she said.

Dr. Irene Wahba of the New Tampa-based Woman's Group said her office also expects to receive a shipment. However, she said few patients seem to want the vaccine because they mistakenly think it's the same as the swine flu shots of the 1970s that caused some people to become paralyzed.

"I can't believe there's so much hype over it," she said. "It's the same vaccine as the Type A" seasonal flu.

Other doctors also say patients are receiving misinformation about the vaccine.

Some who are able to take FluMist are avoiding it, and some people fear a mercury-based preservative used in some flu shots.

"The amount is very small," Kulek-Luzey said, adding that it has less than what's found in a tuna sandwich. "It's only an issue with multiple vaccines given to very small children."

The greater risk, she said, comes with getting the disease.

Kulek-Luzey said all of the group's 13 offices had seen patients with H1N1 flu.

"We've had a very active caseload for the last four weeks," she said.