AUGUSTA -- Now's the time to arrange for a flu shot. And this year, a new category has been added to the high risk group -- children and teens.

The Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention ordered about 164,000 doses of the vaccine, including 61,000 preservative-free vaccines for children.

The vaccines were purchased with money from the Fund for Healthy Maine, the state's tobacco settlement money. This year, Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control, said the state spent $1.3 million on flu vaccines.

She said the state spent the same amount last year.

Five years ago, the state spent more money on vaccines, $1.8 million, she said. Also, back then the vaccine cost less so Maine was able to purchase more doses, 250,000.

Mills said her agency has received and is distributing most of its supply this week and next. "This year, our vaccine order is primarily for children and adults in public health and high-risk settings, such as nursing homes and homeless clinics," Mills said Tuesday. "This is the first year that the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) has recommended that all children older than 6 months of age receive a flu shot.

"We would like to protect as many children in Maine as possible." Those at high-risk are children ages 6 months to 18 years old; anyone age 50 and older; pregnant women; persons of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease; persons living with or caring for people at high risk; residents of nursing homes; and health-care workers.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently announced that more than 140 million doses of flu vaccine are to be distributed throughout the country during the next few months.

Mills said this is the most influenza vaccine ever distributed in the United States for a single season.

The recommendation to include children and teens is the result of increasing evidence of the impact of influenza on children. Mills said recent testing has shown that children sick with pneumonia, more often than previously recognized, also are infected with influenza.

She said children also are major transmitters of the disease who unknowingly transmit influenza to the elderly and sick.

"Studies in other countries that have had mass flu vaccines for children have shown that they were able to reduce it a great deal," she said.

Mills said people who need an influenza shot should make sure they know where they can get one.

People should first call their health care provider.

There's also a number of home health care agencies and hospitals providing flu vaccine clinics, Mills said, and also a number of clinics held in supermarkets and other businesses, though those may not have child vaccines.

"Grocery stores and pharmacies, and other retail clinics, don't offer them to children," she said. "We provided (children's vaccines) to health centers, hospitals, public health clinics and physician's offices. We wanted to make sure there were adequate flu vaccines for children."

Mills said she cannot predict just how bad this flu season will be. That's because influenza is so unpredictable. But even a mild season shouldn't be taken lightly, she said.

"The last few years we had several children and young adults die from flu," Mills said. "Not a large number statistically, compared to the elderly.

"We especially recommend all Mainers in high-risk groups make their appointments now for flu vaccine," she said. "Getting a flu shot and following these simple steps will go a long way toward helping everyone stay healthy this winter."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com