Whitman-Walker Clinic limits those who will receive flu shots

Officials at Washington, D.C.'s Whitman-Walker Clinic, which provides care for about 2,500 HIV patients, say the clinic is unlikely to receive enough flu vaccine for every patient, the Washington Blade reports. Medical director Philippe Chiliade says he expected the agency to receive about 350 flu vaccine doses by the end of October. County health departments in neighboring Maryland and Virginia might be able to supply more doses to the clinic, according to Chiliade. Whitman-Walker plans to prioritize patients who will receive the vaccine based on CD4-cell counts, according to clinic spokesman Chip Lewis. Those with CD4-cell counts between 100 and 200 will be vaccinated, as will patients with stable HIV viral loads and fewer than 100 CD4 cells. Those with fewer than 100 CD4 cells and uncontrolled viral loads will not be vaccinated because they are likely to have poor responses to the vaccine, according to Lewis.