After news that two King County schoolgirls died of complications from the flu earlier this month, more than 2,200 people, many of them children, rushed to receive late-season vaccinations during Presidents Day weekend.

Lengthy waiting lines wound through three free vaccination sites run by Public Health -- Seattle & King County as nurses inoculated 961 patients Sunday and 1,307 more Monday.

"We didn't know what to expect in terms of turnout, but we're really pleased to see so many people who want to take steps and protect themselves," James Apa, a health department spokesman, said from the Eastgate Public Health Center in Bellevue. "I'm sure that the recent tragic pediatric deaths have played a part in raising peoples' awareness about the flu and how it can be a severe illness."

On Feb. 5, Sarah Horner, a 7-year-old from suburban Kent, died of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, caused by the flu. Nine days later, on Feb. 14, Marija Alumbaugh, an 8-year-old student at Laurelhurst Elementary School, also died of myocarditis.

Public health officials would not say whether the girls had received flu vaccinations, though neither was in an age range considered high risk.

"When we see pediatric deaths it's most often with children who are unvaccinated," Apa said.

More than 700 youths under 18 received inoculations Monday.

The flu itself appears to be on an upswing in King County. School absenteeism, emergency room reports and monitoring from local doctors show increased numbers this year. But -- with the exception of the recent child deaths -- the illness itself appears to be no more severe, Apa said.

Last weekend, Luke Deasy, a 7-year-old from Bellevue, died after experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the King County medical examiner's office has announced that his death was not caused by the virus.

 

Flu season runs from October through April and an inoculation takes up to two weeks to attain full strength.

 

Monday was the last day to get a free vaccination through county public health clinics, but the department is still offering shots for $15, and lists alternative inoculation sites on its Web site, metrokc.gov/health. Some locations operate with a sliding fee scale, meaning that lower income clients may be able to obtain the $15 shot at less cost.

"This weekend shows that when people become more aware of the potential risks, they want to receive the vaccine," Apa said. "We may receive more demand next year as a result of the increased awareness."