The immunizations, unlike last season, cover both H1N1 or swine flu and normal seasonal flu viruses in one dose.
The total is about 4,000 fewer doses than the H1N1 doses the state sent out last year, said Geraldine Yett, deputy immunization manager for the state.
But another difference is that this year, private providers, including pharmacies, are also buying their own supplies -- as was the norm before swine flu. Some pharmacies such as Carrs Quality Centers and Walgreens Drug Stores have already started offering it.
Last year, the state had all of the swine flu vaccine. The federal government paid to have it all manufactured, and the state distributed it.
There was a shortage early in the season in Alaska and nationally, and the vaccine was carefully doled out to high risk people in the early months.
This year, the state vaccine for adults will only go to public health clinics, including Native health clinics, and long-term health care facilities, said Yett. The vaccine for children will go to the public clinics and private providers who requested it before an August cut-off date.
Those who get the vaccine from the state can't charge for it, except for administration fees for the adults.
State and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium officials discussed flu at a media event in Anchorage Tuesday.
Children 18 and under are the highest priority, Yett said.
Dr. Ros Singleton, the Tribal Health Consortium's immunization director, said one reason for the emphasis on young people is that a study in Japan showed when school-aged children are vaccinated, the overall flu rates drop significantly.
While the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the strains expected for this year, nobody knows yet when the flu season will strike or whether this year's strains will target young people or older people, said Dr. Jay Butler, who was director of the CDC's swine flu task force last year. He is now an executive at the Tribal Health Consortium.
The CDC recommendation is for everyone over 6 months of age to be vaccinated.
In most years, 90 percent of the people who die from the flu are over 65, said Butler. But during the H1N1 flu of the fall and winter of 2009-2010, the opposite happened -- 90 percent of the deaths were among people under 65, including many young people.
A study in Anchorage showed that Alaska Natives and American Indians, and Asians and Pacific Islanders were hospitalized at higher rates than those in any other ethnic groups.
But Tribal Health Consortium officials said many Natives were leery of the vaccine, and there were mass e-mails to Natives that wrongly said the swine flu vaccine contained a computer chip, or contained dangerous additives.
One reason for the flu media event at Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center Tuesday was so the health officials could ask people who produce ethnic newsletters or community channel TV programs, or work for community newspapers across Alaska how to better get the word out that vaccines protect against serious illness and death.
Some people are worried that the message is coming from the government, which they don't trust, said Katherine Forest, who does a local Spanish language program.
That resonated with Dr. Mike Engel, who saw some of the sickest Native children last year. He said he usually refers parents to a good children's hospital Web site for more information, rather than the CDC, a dot-gov organization.
Some people are afraid their or their relative's immigration status will be at risk, said Daniel Esparza, who also works on the Hispanic TV show.
The media people recommended that health officials get the word out through churches -- or even distribute vaccines there -- as well as sending out e-mails, postcards, Twitter and Facebook notes.
A representative of the Municipality of Anchorage said the city will offer flu shots and nasal sprays at its Ninth Avenue and L Street clinic this year but has no vaccine yet. Dates will be set later.
So far, there are no plans to offer vaccines in Anchorage School District schools, as happened last year.
Find Rosemary Shinohara online at adn.com/contact/rshinohara or call her at 257-4340.
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