Flu season has begun, making this the best time to receive an influenza vaccine, according to the county health officer.
Dr. Jennifer Bales discussed vaccinations during the Wayne County Board of Health’s Oct. 14 meeting. Flu season starts at the beginning of October and lasts through March, and it typically has two peaks, Bales said. This year’s vaccine includes protection against three influenza types that have been active in the southern hemisphere.
“The vaccine reduces your likelihood of getting the flu,” Bales said. “You may still get the flu, but if you do, it should be less severe.”
Bales said flu shots have been proven to reduce doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths from flu-like illnesses.
The local flu rate was low in mid-October, but Bales said a spike generally occurs around the holidays. The vaccine should be administered two weeks before exposure to provide protection.
Bales said there was a COVID-19 spike during early September that has now abated. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which provides recommendations about vaccine use to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends residents decide whether to receive a COVID vaccination based on their individual health characteristics.
Age is the strongest risk factor of serious COVID illness, Bales said, with the risk of death 25 times higher in people ages 50 to 64 than ages 18 to 29. That risk is 300 times higher for age 85 and older. Many other medical issues also increase risk factors.
“Please consider getting your COVID vaccine,” Bales said.
Visits to a medical provider are not necessary for the COVID vaccine to be covered by insurance, Bales said. The health department will also receive a state supply of COVID vaccine for uninsured or underinsured individuals wanting vaccination.
“If you believe that you meet a high-risk criteria or you want to get the vaccine for some reason, it would be covered,” Bales said.
Indiana law mandates that state and local health departments follow ACIP vaccine recommendations. Bales highlighted a couple of the ACIP’s other recent recommendations.
For children, the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine should not be used in combination with the varicella vaccine for chickenpox. Bales said that the MMR and varicella vaccines have generally been administered separately unless a child was behind in scheduled vaccinations, so that’s not a significant change.
The ACIP also recommends that hepatitis B vaccinations be given at birth and on a regular schedule for children. Bales said there’s been confusion about the vaccine’s need in children because some believe it’s only transmitted sexually.
“It is a sexually transmitted disease, but it can also be spread through infectious blood and bodily fluids,” Bales said. “It is incredibly transmissible.”
Often those with hepatitis B show no symptoms, and it’s transmissible through items such as toothbrushes and razors or by blood exposure through simple first aid. There’s no cure for the disease that can cause liver failure.
“Without a doubt, the best strategy for preventing this illness in our communities is through vaccination,” Bales said.
Health First Indiana
Because of state cuts to Health First Indiana funding, the health department has just $200,000 budgeted in 2026 to contract with partners providing necessary services that address required key performance outcomes.
Five current partners presented proposals to receive funding next year. Their proposals total $425,831.
Dan Burk, the health department’s director, told board members that he and Bales recommended three receive funding. Those requests from Reid Health ($110,000), Birth to Five ($85,000) and Bridges for Life ($92,640) total $287,640.
Burk said scope of work and overall impact were considered. For example, Bridges for Life addresses addiction, and according to state health department statistics, Wayne County ranks 91st among Indiana’s 92 counties with an overdose rate of 62.3 per 100,000 people. Marion County ranks 90th with a 46.6 rate, and Fayette County ranks 92nd with a 63.9 rate.
On Oct. 15, the Wayne County Coroner’s Office posted on social media that it investigated five overdose deaths in 30 days. It listed Bridges for Life as an organization providing recovery resources for those suffering addiction.
The board voted 6-0 to move forward with Reid, Birth to Five and Bridges for Life. Funding amounts will be considered during the board’s noon Nov. 4 meeting, which was moved from Nov. 11 because of Veterans Day.
A version of this article appeared in the October 22 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.