By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Add the baby to the list of household members who should get a flu shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging parents to get babies 6 to 23 months old vaccinated against the flu.

"These very young children have hospitalization rates that are just about the same as the groups we currently recognize as high risk: people over 65 and kids with pulmonary and respiratory illnesses," says Dr. David Bernstein, director of the division of infectious diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Babies younger than 6 months have the highest rate of complications, but the vaccine hasn't been approved for use in children that young, Dr. Bernstein says. He advises that children up to 8 years old should get the vaccine.

Getting children vaccinated against the flu can eliminate many secondary infections - particularly ear infections - that require antibiotics, says Dr. Bernstein. Antibiotics won't help with viral infections alone, but cutting back on antibiotics can help stem resistant bacterial infections, he says. "That's one of the secondary benefits as we use more flu vaccine."

It's also very important that children and adults with asthma get vaccinated against the flu, he says.

The recommendation comes with surprising - but welcome - news: Flu vaccine should be plentiful this year, say manufacturers and public health officials. Manufacturing and shipping problems caused delays and shortages in the past few years and some adults had to scramble to find vaccine or skip their shot altogether.

Last year, providers couldn't obtain enough vaccine early in the season to make sure all their high-risk patients got shots. This year, vendors have called Mary Sacco, director of nursing for the Hamilton County General Health District, to try to sell her their excess vaccine inventory. "That hasn't happened in a couple of years," she says.

As in years past, experts recommend that high-risk groups - men and women over 65 and anyone with chronic illnesses or respiratory conditions or a compromised immune system - get their shots by the end of November. Healthy people can wait until December to get their flu shots. Flu vaccine is available through physicians' offices and clinics. Many chain drug stores, supermarkets and pharmacies are offering flu shots for customers. Health departments are giving priority to high-risk populations.

Tristate residents can call the "flu shot hotline" at 931-SHOT (931-7468) or log onto www.931SHOT.org to find out where vaccinations are available. In an average flu season, 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population will become ill with the virus. About 114,000 people will be hospitalized, and some 20,000 will die from complications of the disease - usually pneumonia.

"We've talked a lot about West Nile virus this year, and it's obviously a serious disease, but flu, by comparison, is much more serious and that's all the more reason why people should know the symptoms and get their flu shots," says Hamilton County Health Commissioner Tim Ingram.

Flu shots, plus good hand washing - that means soap and hot water several times a day - add up to a lot of prevention. Influenza is the most serious of the viruses making the rounds during cold weather, but plenty of other bugs are lurking, including the common cold. Getting a flu shot doesn't protect against the other viruses.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, congestion, fatigue, sore throat, dry cough and muscle aches.

There are three strains of influenza, A, B and C. The C strains are fairly mild and aren't believed to cause epidemics. The A strains are associated with the most serious epidemics and high rates of hospitalization. This year's vaccine includes the A/New Caledonia, A/Panama and B/Hong Kong viruses. People who don't like needles could soon have one less excuse to skip a yearly flu vaccination, Dr. Bernstein says. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's are awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration of FluMist, a flu vaccination in a nasal spray. Dr. Bernstein hopes the spray, which can be used in anyone 18 months and older, will be approved in time for the 2003-2004 flu season.

For people who do get the flu, most doctors recommend treating the symptoms by using acetaminophen to reduce fever and body aches and getting plenty of rest and fluids.

Several medications, including amantadine, rimantadine and zanamivir, can lessen the duration of influenza, says Dr. Steve Bartz, a family practitioner in West Chester.

E-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com.