Health board ponders H1N1 vaccine, eateries

Flathead City-County Board of Health members discussed  H1N1 vaccine distribution as well as some problem food establishments at its Thursday meeting.

Jody White, director of Community Health Services Division, reported that about 59 percent of children in Flathead County did not return for their second dose of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine. Without the booster, children under 10 may not develop complete immunity.

Her report compared vaccinations in Flathead County with statistics for the United States reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Across the country, 82 percent of children failed to receive the second dose.

White told board members that the department sent out 2,811 cards recently to remind parents or guardians to bring their children in for the needed booster. A number of those were returned as undeliverable to the addresses provided.

“We could do phone calls for those whose cards returned,”  White said.

According to a chart White presented to the board, a little more than 18 percent of the county population got the H1N1 flu vaccination compared to a little more than 20 percent in the rest of the country.

The population group with the most vaccinations was children six months to 4 years with about 50 percent immunized. Adults 19 to 64 received the fewest at just under 15 percent of the number in the county according to the 2000 census.

Board member Dr. David Myerowitz raised questions about the methods and sample sizes used in the two combined national surveys, pointing out that even the CDC had a disclaimer on the validity of one of the surveys.

“As Mark Twain said, ‘There are lies, damn lies and statistics,’” he said. “This is just garbage.”

Myerowitz gave the department kudos for its efforts to make vaccinations available to the public. White’s report showed that health staffers held 16 H1N1 flu vaccination clinics around the valley, in addition to  access to immunizations at regular department clinics.

Myerowitz was sharply critical of the restrictions placed on the department that allowed only some younger population groups access to vaccine for weeks when H1N1 flu was widespread.

The restrictions from the state mandated by the CDC continued even for a time when the county had adequate doses to meet all potential demand.

“There’s a small window when you can get the public to participate,” Myerowitz said. “If there’s no shortage of vaccine, we need to make the decision about how we vaccinate.”

 As a result, the department has ended up with excess doses that must be disposed of as they expire. The vaccine was provided at no cost to the county by the federal government.

White presented a graph that showed a spike in vaccinations beginning Dec. 12 that correlated with removing the age restrictions on who could receive the free vaccine.

People vaccinated in the county peaked in November at 6,535 and dwindled to 958 in January.

County Health Officer Joe Russell agreed that local officials could make better decisions on administering vaccinations here but pointed out that the county and state were bound to follow the guidelines of the CDC. He said earlier that was a condition of receiving free vaccine.

In other business, board members reviewed a report of poor health inspection scores with Wendee Jacobs of the Environmental Health Department.

Jacobs said the Hellroaring Saloon Bar in Whitefish got a C- on a follow-up inspection of the food side of the business. She said the first violations were corrected but the same violations were found in other food preparation areas of the facility.

The inspector gave the bar part of the operation an A.

Jacobs discussed problems getting cooperation in correcting a lengthy list of deficiencies at Oriental Express in Whitefish. At follow-up visits, the health scores were C and D.

Board members also received a copy of a restraining order obtained against Don Clapper for Don’s Country Smokehouse in Evergreen. During a visit, an inspector found Clapper operating as an unlicensed retail establishment and given notice to stop.

Russell said he was licensed as a wild game processor but not for retail food preparation and sales.

“That level of food preparation requires a much cleaner facility,” he said.

According to the complaint, a health inspector returned a few weeks later and observed items in a cooler labeled for retail sale along with a smoked cheese and party tray with sliced sausage and smoked cheese.

The inspector also found moldy sides of bacon hanging in the cooler and a dirty facility with exposed raw meats in tubs in the cooler deemed to jeopardize public health. District Court Judge Katherine Curtis issued a temporary order on Feb. 16, restraining Clapper from operating as a retail food establishment.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.