INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — State health officials say the fading of last year's worries about swine flu shouldn't be a reason for not getting a flu vaccination.
Indiana health officials don't know what to expect from the new flu season after H1N1 was blamed for 39 of the state's 43 flu-related deaths last season.
"It is clear to us that the H1N1 pandemic is over, but that doesn't mean that the influenza season is over," state Health Commissioner Dr. Gregory N. Larkin said during a teleconference, the Tribune-Star of Terre Haute reported.
The new flu vaccine protects against the swine flu strain along with two other strains expected to circulate this year.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that pharmaceutical companies will manufacture 160 million to 165 million vaccine doses this year, which should be enough for everyone who wants one.
Dr. Joan Duwve, medical director for the Indiana health department, said last year's swine flu scare might have improved people's willingness to get flu shots.
"We're hoping H1N1 may have just made people aware of this in general," Duwve told The Indianapolis Star.
The state agency is monitoring for instances of a flu stain that is circulating in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio to determine its severity, said Shawn Richards, a state respiratory epidemiologist.
Richards said 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu each year during the season that typically runs from October to May. In Indiana, the peak of the flu season is usually January to February.
"We anticipate there will be flu, and if you get your flu shots, you will have a much milder flu season than if you do not," Duwve said.
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