With both seasonal and swine flu vaccine supplies lower than the Centers for Disease Control anticipated, hospitals and health departments across the EUP are scheduling flu clinics for high risk groups only, as soon as new shipments arrive.

James Terrian, medical director of the Luce Mackinac Alger Schoolcraft (LMAS) Health Department, said in the past few weeks about 400 doses of the H1N1, or swine flu, vaccine have been received. Most health care workers, pregnant women willing to receive the vaccine, and children 5 and younger in the four-county service area have been inoculated, Dr. Terrian said. The health department is not conducting mass flu clinics for the public owing to cutbacks, Dr. Terrian said, but hospitals throughout LMAS's coverage area have held their own when vaccine was available.

Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace is working with LMAS to set up an H1N1 flu clinic Tuesday, November 24, at Little Bear East Arena in St. Ignace from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vaccinations will be provided to four groups regarded as "high risk groups," which includes pregnant women, caregivers of infants younger than six months old, those who live in a household with an infant younger than six months old, and children between six months to 18 years old with underlying health conditions. The H1N1 clinic will serve Mackinac County residents.

Anyone in those groups should call (877) 656-7857 to answer more questions to determine vaccine eligibility. Vaccinations for eligible individuals costs $15 and are available by appointment only.

A hotline has been set up to provide information about future H1N1 flu clinics as more doses become available in Mackinac County. The telephone number is (877) 293- 1315.

The hospital also offered two seasonal flu clinics this fall that vaccinated more than 400 people, Rural Health Care Director Laura Anderson said.

Chippewa County The Chippewa County Health Department is managing several flu clinics in the next few months, said David Martin, health officer from Chippewa County Community Health Department. The department has several hundred doses of the H1N1 vaccine that will be used for the clinics, he said. The department's clinics are focused on school children, with many conducted at the schools. Two clinics are planned for Rudyard Elementary and Rudyard Christian Elementary schools Friday, November 20, from 8 a.m. to noon. The free clinics are for students of those schools only. Another free H1N1 clinic is planned for Pickford schools Monday, November 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mr. Martin reported the Chippewa Health Department has little seasonal flu vaccine available, with most of the doses used in September. Additional seasonal vaccine shipments have been sparse since then, he said, although few seasonal flu cases have been reported in Chippewa County.

Seasonal flu vaccinations may be available through private physicians or clinics, but Mr. Martin believes many health care providers are experiencing a shortage.

The health department is scheduling additional clinics as more shipments of both vaccines are received. Updates on vaccine shipments and clinics can be found at the Chippewa County Health Department's Web site at www.chippewahd.com .

District Health Department Number Four, which covers the Mackinaw City area, conducted four vaccine clinics from November 5 to November 9 in Cheboygan, Alepna, Atlanta, and Rogers City. The department reports no clinics for Mackinaw City are planned at this time.

Emmet County

Emmet County residents can book swine flu vaccinations with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan at (800) 432- 4121. The vaccines are administered according to the CDC priority list.

From November 1 to November 7, 74 cases of flu-like symptoms were reported in Chippewa County, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health. Eleven cases of flu-like symptoms were reported in the same time span in Mackinac County, while 13 were reported in Emmet County.