H1N1 Vaccine Availability Update
· Vaccine is now available to additional groups!
o Children 6 months to 24 years of age with or without chronic conditions.
o Adults 25 – 64 years of age with chronic conditions.
· Visit our website at www.bchealth.info/publichealth.asp for more information or how to make an appointment and for the complete priority groups.
· Pregnant? You and other family members in your home should and can receive H1N1 vaccine.
· Monday, November 16th and Tuesday, November 17th from 3 – 6:30 p.m. we will be offering vaccine by appointment only. See the website for details.
· See the update on the website regarding the offering of vaccine in the schools of Buchanan County for students.
· Unfortunately, some are misinformed saying the H1N1 flu season is behind us. The Centers for Disease Control has named what has and is going through our communities now as Wave 2 with Wave 3 expected after the first of the year and a Wave 4 in the future.
Thanks for all your support of public health services! Your patience and kind words are appreciated during this very busy time.
As Influenza H1N1 vaccine arrives in Buchanan County, we continue to slowly open up who we can offer the vaccine to while supplies are so limited. Below is a list of people we are offering vaccine to by appointment only starting next week. Anyone who fits into one of these groups should call our department at 319-332-0860 or e-mail us at publichealth@bchealth.info to set up an appointment. Our phones are very busy. If we are on other calls, the call will go to voice messaging. Leave a message with the following information: name of caller, phone number to be reached, name, age and priority group from below the individual/s can be placed within. We will return phone calls as quickly as possible. Questions regarding H1N1 vaccine will be answered after scheduling is completed. To find answers regarding H1N1 on your own call the Iowa Department of Public Health hotline at 1-800-447-1985, go to our website for clinic information in Buchanan County at www.bchealth.info/publichealth.asp (this will be updated as priority groups are opened), or go to www.cdc.gov , www.idph.state.ia.us , or www.flu.gov . The Centers for Disease Control website can also answer your questions regarding Thimerosal. Remember to always access creditable websites for health care information!
We apologize at this time that our "individualized" accessibility is very limited. We are working to meet each of your needs as quickly as possible.
We are looking for the following priority groups to vaccinate with H1N1 vaccine:
- Pregnant women (including the family members within their home);
- Persons who live with or provide care for infants age less than 6 months (parents, siblings, day care providers)
- Health care and emergency services personnel who have direct contact with patients
- Children 6 months - 4 years
- Children and adolescents age 5-18 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for flu-related complications (asthma, diabetes, etc.)
Answers to your questions:
- The H1N1 vaccine is "free" from the federal government. There is no charge for the vaccine.
- We do not have adequate supply of vaccine to place it in the physician clinics in Buchanan County yet. We hope to eventually.
- We currently have Thimerosal free vaccine that can be administered to women who are pregnant, yet CDC does not specifically recommend they need to wait for vaccine without Thimerosal: www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/thimerosal.htm
- Anyone 2 - 49 without chronic conditions are candidates to receive the nasal spray. Due to our limited supply of shots, which are needed for those children with chronic disease, anyone who falls in this category will be offered nasal spray vaccine only.
- Women who are breastfeeding can receive the nasal spray flu vaccine: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5705al.htm
- If you have been on antivirals, you cannot receive the nasal spray vaccine until 48 hours after your last dose of antiviral. If you get the nasal spray vaccine and start an antiviral within 2 weeks after, the vaccine may not provide protection: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/antiviral.htm
- Vaccine in shot form we have currently for babies 6 months and older does contain Thimerosal. It will be the parents decision if they wish to have this vaccine administered to their child.
- Nasal spray H1N1 vaccine spray does not contain Thimerosal.
- Unless you actually were hospitalized and tested with a positive result for H1N1 when having a flu like illness this year, you will still need to be vaccinated.
- Children 9 years of age and younger will need to receive the vaccine twice, at least one month apart.
- If you have received a seasonal influenza vaccine by nasal spray form recently, you cannot receive the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine until 28 days after the seasonal nasal spray flu vaccine was given.
- We are trying to vaccinate those at highest risk to become ill with the little amount of vaccine we currently are receiving. As more vaccine becomes available (which we have no control over) we will open up the availability to more priority groups. Keep checking our websites for updates.
- Each county is vaccinating according to the amount and types of vaccine they are receiving and each county's needs within the state. You will see differences on how each county is giving out vaccine. The vaccine campaign is expected to last at least 14 - 16 weeks.
The staff here at the Public Health Department thanks all of you for all your support in helping us with our vaccination campaign against Influenza A (H1N1). We are on "Wave 2" of this H1N1 outbreak, expecting "Wave 3" possibly yet before spring and for this strain to return again next fall according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Getting vaccinated will be important whenever the vaccine is available! In the mean time:
- Cover your cough and sneeze into your elbow.
- Clean your hands.
- Contain germs. (STAY HOME when ill until the fever subsides for 24 hours without fever reducing medications.)
Stay Healthy!
