with wire reports

A shortage of flu vaccines has forced McKinley Health Center, as well as other vaccine providers, to try an alternative method for the rest of this year.

McKinley has run out of the injectable form of the vaccine, so it has ordered 500 doses of a new nasal flu vaccine, expected to arrive by Tuesday, said McKinley Director Robert Palinkas.

Health care providers administer the vaccine by spraying it into each nostril.

Unlike the injectable vaccine, which contains a dead virus, the nasal vaccine is made up of a live influenza virus.

"The side effect of the injection is a sore arm," Palinkas said, "But the side effect of the nasal vaccination is a runny nose for a couple of days."

This is because the vaccination puts a weakened form of the virus in the nose.

For people with a normal immune system, the virus will be attacked and defeated by the immune system, Palinkas said. But those with a weak immune system might not be able to fend off the virus, he said.

McKinley has given a record 12,500 vaccinations this year, due to the combination of a more aggressive flu vaccination campaign and an unusually bad flu season.

The United States is suffering what some experts say could become one of the worst flu seasons in years.

At least 23 children have died, and some experts think the national death toll could exceed the annual average of 36,000 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu has affected all 50 states to some extent. Many states in the western half of the country have reported widespread flu outbreaks.

Palinkas said in Illinois, the flu is classified as sporadic but could soon become widespread.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said the government is shipping 100,000 doses of the adult vaccine and 150,000 doses of the children's vaccine to states, based on each state's population.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, said doctors should give priority to high risk groups — the elderly, children under two years old, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women in their second or third trimesters.

"The flu season is far from over; we are going to have to prioritize," Gerberding said.

McKinley will not be getting any more of the injectable vaccine because most of its patients do not fall in the high-risk category, Palinkas said.

He said he does not blame the two major producers of the injectable vaccine — Ayentis and Chiron — for not making enough of the vaccine.

Each year, the companies must decide months in advance how much vaccine to make by estimating the demand. Palinkas said the companies have little incentive to produce too much of the vaccine because it would not be effective the following year and the company is not reimbursed for the extra supply it makes.

Palinkas said the companies produced more of the vaccine than they did last year, but did not anticipate the harsh flu season this year.

Wyeth, the company that produces the nasal spray, was expecting a high demand for the product, but patients and doctors were not as eager to try the new vaccination, he said.