Alaskan Travelers at Risk for Flu
September 1, 1999 less than 1 minute read
Alaskan Travelers at Risk for Flu
Source:MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1999;48:545-546;555.
During a recent trip to vancouver, I was informed that tourists returning to that seaport on Alaskan cruises continue to "drop like flies." Tourists and tourist industry workers are being hit hard by the same influenza A outbreak that plagued last year’s tourists to Alaska and the Yukon territories. (As of June 29, 428 reported cases of acute respiratory illness had occurred, one-third of which met criteria for influenza-like illness.) Nearly half of the tourists became ill before or within 48 hours after boarding cruise ships usually headed for ports in Vancouver and Seattle before flying home.
The influenza A strain appears to be similar to the predominant circulating (H3N2) Sydney-like strain identified in 1998-1999 in the United States, so the current vaccine should be effective. While the CDC and the Canadian Health Board have recommended the administration of vaccine to the usual suspects (persons > 65 with chronic health problems such as diabetes, lung, or cardiac conditions or immune-compromised individuals), it seems reasonable to offer the vaccine to any traveler taking a land-sea tour to these endemic areas.
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