If you live in Butler County and have gotten either the seasonal flu vaccine or the H1N1 vaccine, or both, count yourself lucky.

During a Thursday news conference, state Deputy Health Secretary Michael Huff called confusion over the distribution of flu vaccines "frustrating" for the public and health care workers.

One person who is frustrated is Beth Harold, manager of complete care services, private duty division, for the Visiting Nurses Association of Western Pennsylvania.

Harold said the VNA, which serves as one of the county's major vaccine clinic organizers, usually starts getting the seasonal flu vaccine by early September, distributing between 6,000 and 8,000 vaccines annually.

However, this year, shipments of the seasonal vaccine from the manufacturer to health care providers were delayed to allow for the delivery of H1N1 vaccine. But that vaccine has been hard to produce, Huff said Thursday, adding that production and shipments have been delayed worldwide.

So now, instead of having at least one of the flu vaccines to give county residents, Harold said, the VNA has neither.

"Butler School District has been hit hard by the H1N1 virus and by the time we get the vaccine the majority of children won't need it," Harold said.

"We feel bad that we don't have the vaccines, but there is nothing we can do," she said. "Like everyone else, we are in limbo until we get the vaccine."

Stacy Kriedeman, health department spokeswoman, recommends second and third calls to manufacturers about the seasonal flu vaccine, explaining that vaccine is pre-booked by providers, who buy it directly from the manufacturer. However, not all pre-booked doses are ordered when the flu season comes, and providers can sometimes buy these doses.

"There is not a shortage of seasonal vaccine, but sometimes you have to be a bit more diligent to find it," Kriedeman said.

The H1N1 vaccine, however, Kriedeman said, is not available because of production delays.

Acting State Physician General Dr. Stephen Ostroff, who joined the state deputy health secretary during Thursday's news conference, said flu season began sooner than expected, hitting hard about two weeks ago, with the first wave of illnesses coming from the Pittsburgh region.

Ostroff also said the H1N1 flu does not seem to be symptomatically harder hitting than the seasonal flu.

However, he said, H1N1 is targeting younger people, with 70 percent to 75 percent of the patients ages 5 to 24, while those ages 10 to 19 make up the group most impacted by the H1N1 virus.

VA Butler Healthcare held a flu vaccine clinic Thursday, but no one was available to discuss the program that afternoon.