TRAVERSE CITY -- Local health officials are bracing for a doozy of a flu season.
With both seasonal influenza and swine flu on the horizon, area experts said it's likely influenza will have a large impact this fall and winter across this region and the country, with both types of flu as a culprit.
"We might be lucky, but in some places it's much more than a regular flu season and it probably will be here, too," said Dr. Michael Collins, medical director for health departments in Grand Traverse, Benzie and Leelanau counties. "Some people may be getting them both (seasonal and swine flu) at the same time."
Employees at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City are strongly encouraged to receive both seasonal and swine flu vaccines, said Pam Goran, a registered nurse and manager of the hospital's infection prevention department.
"We have ample vaccines for seasonal flu and we are expecting to have ample vaccines for swine flu, too," Goran said. "We'll have plenty for patients."
Hospital employees are gearing up for a busy flu season and plan for patient assessments that will keep those with flu away from others, Goran said.
People who become sick with influenza should frequently wash their hands, cough and sneeze into a shirt sleeve, avoid work and school, plus carry alcohol-based hand gels with them for frequent use, Goran said.
Residents can get vaccinations through an injection or a nasal spray to prevent seasonal influenza. They are available, or soon will be, at hospitals, doctor's offices and clinics across the region.
In a study of nearly 2,000 healthy adults during a recent flu season, standard shots were twice as effective against regular winter flu than the newer nasal spray, researchers found.
Flu shots are made of dead flu viruses that are usually injected into the arm. FluMist, the only government-approved flu nasal spray, delivers a live but weakened strain to the nostrils. Research indicates shots work better in adults and the spray works better in children.
Swine flu vaccines are expected to be available first in a spray sometime in October. Experts say both shots and sprays are effective against the swine flu in children and adults.
Local officials recommend using either method to prevent seasonal influenza, as well as the vaccine for swine flu, Collins said.
"It's certainly going to be an abnormal flu season. We're expecting two waves: swine flu and seasonal flu," he said. "It's going to be extremely unusual and different."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
