Question: Are shortages or delays of flu vaccine expected again this flu season?

Answer: It looks as if adequate doses of flu vaccine will be on hand and that significant delays are unlikely.

A new wrinkle in flu shot guidelines this year involves children. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) now encourages flu shots for all children 6 to 23 months old.

Previously, kids under 2 years old were considered at high risk only if they had a chronic medical condition such as asthma or diabetes. But because even healthy kids under age 2 face a risk of hospitalization from flu complications, they have been added to the high-risk group.

The optimal time to get a flu shot is usually during October and November. As in prior years, the CDC recommends that people at highest risk get their shots first, followed by healthy individuals. The flu season generally runs from November through April, so it's not too late to get a shot even after November.

October is the recommended time for the following groups to get a flu shot:

Persons at increased risk for flu-related complications, including those over 65 years of age, those ages 6 months to 64 years with chronic medical conditions, and healthy children ages 6 to 23 months.

Health care workers.

Household contacts of persons at increased risk for flu-related complications, including contacts of infants less than 6 months old (a flu shot is not FDA-approved for these infants).

Children 6 months to 8 years old receiving a flu shot for the first time. (These kids are started in October because they will need a booster shot a month after the first shot. After the first year, one yearly shot will suffice.)

The consequences of not getting vaccinated against the flu could be dire. Each year, a flu epidemic kills about 20,000 people, most of them over age 65.

You also should get a pneumonia shot if you've never had one. Bacterial pneumonia claims even more lives than the flu each year, most of them elderly individuals. Unlike the flu shot, a pneumonia shot is thought to provide lifetime protection, so you may need it only once.

Some are afraid to get a flu shot because they believe it might cause the flu. The vaccine is made with killed viruses, so this won't happen.

If you are sick with a fever, it may be best to get your flu shot at a later time.

Since the viruses used in the flu vaccine are grown in hen eggs, individuals with an egg allergy should ask their physicians about possible alternatives to the flu shot.

E-mail rharkn@aol.com.