New numbers show spike in H1N1 cases

Maricopa County and Arizona State University officials are working to vaccinate high-risk people against the H1N1 virus, as recently released numbers show a spike of confirmed cases in the region.

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According to the state Department of Health Services, out of 429 confirmed cases of influenza reported in the past week, 256 of those were laboratory-confirmed H1N1. Six of those cases resulted in deaths last week. Since April 2009, 131 deaths have been confirmed.

While the number of cases is less than several months ago, state health officials have confirmed that recently they are witnessing a spike in the number of reported and confirmed cases of H1N1 in Maricopa County, according to numbers released Thursday.

Maricopa County to date has had 3,847 H1N1 cases reported for the current flu season. That shows a drop compared with last year's flu season, which saw 5,324 cases of laboratory-confirmed H1N1.

But late November into early December showed a spike in the number of lab-confirmed influenza cases reported, according to regional health officials. They reported that those recent numbers show an increase over this time last year.

"To prepare for a potential third wave of illness, it is important that we continue our efforts to vaccinate high-risk people for H1N1," said Dr. Bob England, director of Maricopa County's Public Health Department. "As soon as we give our high-risk residents the ability to access vaccine, we are planning on opening up these sites for everyone in our community who wants vaccine."

Starting Saturday, and for the first time in Maricopa County, officials are making the H1N1 vaccine available to people who are considered "high risk," according to criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control.

ASU spokeswoman Julie Newberg said the public university has already opened vaccinations to its many students, a program that started in November. Now the university has also opened vaccinations for people in high-risk groups designated by the CDC.

Newberg said just a sampling of those high-risk groups include everyone under 24 years of age, obese people, and those who have asthma, heart conditions, and lung conditions, among other things.

According to the CDC, high-risk groups also include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical personnel, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people between the ages of 25 and 64 who are considered high risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Newberg said many of the university's more than 60,000 students have been vaccinated as long as they are younger than 24, and that it would be difficult to predict the total number of those treated because the process is ongoing. "The numbers change from day to day," she said.

Newberg added that patients did not necessarily have to be affiliated with the university. She said the school recently extended its services to anyone identified as high risk.

To address concerns regarding this and other flu outbreaks, Newberg said the school started a Web site back when H5, or the avian influenza, had a lot of students and workers concerned. The Web site, www.asu.edu/pandemic, also has information about the more recent H1N1, which is also known as swine flu.

"This is a pandemic," Newberg said, acknowledging that the recent public sentiment has been to dismiss the flu virus. Newberg said a pandemic is not dictated by frequency, but by how widespread it is. "H1N1 has spread all over the world," she said.

H1N1 Vaccine clinics

For more information about H1N1, call the bilingual flu hotline at (877) 764-2670. To find locations of Saturday’s vaccine clinics for high risk people, visit www.StopTheSpreadAZ.org.