County offers free flu clinic [The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.]

Oct. 29--It's fall, and influenza viruses may be in the air, literally.

So Lane County is offering a free one-day flu vaccination clinic Wednesday to all community members, at Lane Community College's downtown Eugene campus at 101 W. 10th Ave.

The first-come, first-served clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The county has 500 vaccinations available on Wednesday and is hoping to serve residents whose health insurance does not cover vaccinations.

Also Wednesday, the county will hold an hourlong evening town-hall-style meeting on the University of Oregon campus to highlight the marked rise in some diseases in Lane County, including gonorrhea, whooping cough and E. coli.

Immunization and proper preventive care are key to keeping at bay infections diseases, including flu, Lane County Health & Human Services officials said.

"We have all the preventative tools to keep our community safe," said Dr. Patrick Luedtke, the county's public health officer. "Now it's a matter of helping our community understand the importance of using those tools."

The influenza viruses include one confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, Lane County Health spokesman Jason Davis said Monday.

A man with the H1N1 virus was admitted to a hospital in serious condition last week but has since recovered, Davis said. The free flu vaccinations being offered Wednesday should be effective against the H1N1 strain, he said.

The free flu clinic is a collaboration between the county, Eugene-based health insurer Trillium Community Health Plan, the UO and LCC.

The town hall meeting will explore the infectious diseases that the county is concerned about -- ranging from syphilis to HIV.

Speakers will include Trillium medical director Dr. Anna Stern; UO labs manager James Mough; Dr. Lisandra Guzman from the Community Health Centers of Lane County; and Renee Yandel, program director for HIV Alliance.

The county recorded 68 cases of gonorrhea for the three-month period that ended Oct. 1, almost double the total for the previous six months, Davis said.

"This number is about four times what we would expect for a community of our size and demographics," Davis said. "The other troubling thing about this is that some of these cases are from people who are HIV-positive, which means that people with HIV are having unprotected sex."

Cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, stand at about 100 cases this year, compared with a five-year annual average of 29, Davis said.

The county has recorded 14 cases of syphilis this year, but aims to have none, he said.

The county has had 16 cases of E. coli this year, double the five-year average, much of it to do with outbreaks involving tainted foods, he said.

An outbreak earlier this month of chicken pox among children at Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove also is troubling, Davis said.

"Traditionally, we see these outbreaks occur in elementary schools; everyone gets immunized or develops immunity and it ends there," he said. "The fact that we are seeing this in a population that should have this behind them is troubling."

The various trends have assorted causes and solutions, county officials say.

A number of Lane County residents are strongly opposed to certain immunizations and health care treatments, Davis said.

That "puts us at a severe disadvantage with trying to curb the spread of new disease outbreaks," he said.

Funding shortfalls are hurting needle exchange programs, he added. Plus, talking about or testing for sexually transmitted diseases remains off-limits among some residents, he added.

Regular health testing and checkups, plus proper hygiene, are key to clamping down on the negative health trends, he said.

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WEDNESDAY HEALTH EVENTS

Free flu clinic: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Center for Media and Learning (Rooms 112-114), Lane Community College downtown campus, 101 W. 10th Ave.,

Free town hall meeting on infectious diseases: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Room 100, Willamette Hall, University of Oregon campus

More information: Lane County Health & Human Services, 541-682-4041

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