H1N1 Immunization Update from Three Rivers Health Department
October 20, 2009
33
West 4th Street
Fremont NE 68025
Phone: 402 727 5396
Fax: 402 727 5399
www.threeriverspublichealth.org
2009 H1N1 Flu
Update for October 21st, 2009
Since August, public health officials have been encouraging people
to get their seasonal flu shot, and to get it early. In addition,
we’ve been reminding everyone to get the H1N1 vaccination once it
is available. The public’s response has been fantastic, but now
we’re at a point where the supply of the seasonal flu vaccine is
not keeping up with the demand, and it appears that wide-spread
availability of the H1N1 flu vaccine will be delayed.
Seasonal Flu Vaccine
• Seasonal flu vaccine will continue to trickle in, so for people
who are still in need of the seasonal flu shot, call your
healthcare provider, or call around to the local vaccination
clinics to check availability.
H1N1 Flu Vaccine
• In Nebraska, the H1N1 vaccine is being shipped to the local
health departments. Three Rivers District Health Department
received an initial shipment of vaccine for our district (Dodge,
Saunders, & Washington Counties) on October 8th.
• Our district will be receiving weekly shipments that will
gradually increase in size. To date, Three Rivers has received
2,200 doses of vaccine, and expects to receive an additional 500
doses this week (week of October 19th). Half of the supply of the
vaccine received is in the form of nasal spray, the other half is
injectible.
• People who can receive nasal spray vaccine include
o healthy, non-pregnant people between the ages of 2 and 49
years,
o healthy, non-pregnant health care workers who do not work with
severely immune compromised persons
Plan for distributing the vaccine
• Because over the next few weeks Three Rivers will be receiving
only a limited supply of the vaccine, our plan is to begin
distribution through the local health care providers in Dodge,
Saunders, & Washington Counties.
• Once we start getting larger quantities in our shipments, we’ll
distribute the vaccine through public immunization clinics, which
we plan to hold in every community in Dodge, Saunders, and
Washington Counties. Some of these clinics will be administered
through the schools.
• In the next few weeks as the supply increases, priority groups,
which have been established by the Centers for Disease Control
& Prevention (CDC), will be the focus of vaccine distribution.
Those groups include:
o pregnant women
o people who live with or care for children under 6 months of age
(parents, siblings, day care providers)
o health care workers and emergency medical services personnel
o children and young adults aged 6 months to 24 years old
o people 25 to 64 years of age with medical conditions that put
them at higher risk for influenza-related complications
• Public clinics will likely begin in early November.
• Considering the five priority groups to receive the vaccine, we
have approximately 32,000 residents that fit into one of these
categories, so at a rate of 700 doses received per week, we’re
obviously not getting too far. We ask that our residents be patient
through this process. There is no vaccine being held back – it’s
all going out to providers the day we receive it.
H1N1 Vaccine Information
• The vaccine is voluntary.
• The method for developing the vaccine is the same as that used to
develop the seasonal flu vaccine. This method is time tested.
• Had the H1N1 virus appeared prior to this past spring, the strain
probably would have been included as part of this year’s seasonal
flu shot.
• Children younger than 10 years should receive two doses of 2009
H1N1 flu vaccine. This is slightly different from CDC’s
recommendations for seasonal influenza vaccination which state that
children younger than 9 who are being vaccinated against influenza
for the first time need to receive two doses.
• Infants younger than 6 months of age are too young to get the
2009 H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines.
• CDC recommends that the two doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine be
separated by 4 weeks.
• Simultaneous administration of inactivated vaccines (injectable
type) against seasonal and the 2009 H1N1 influenza viruses is
permissible if different anatomic sites are used.
Action Steps to Reduce Flu Risk
• Stay home if you have flu symptoms. Return to school or to work
only after you have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of
medication.
• If you are sick, call your doctor’s office first because they may
be able to diagnose you over the phone thus reducing exposure to
others.
• Get your seasonal flu shot and your 2009 H1N1 Flu shot. One shot
is NOT effective for both virus strains.
• Cover your coughs/sneezes & wash your hands frequently.
For additional information on the H1N1 virus and for a listing of
public immunization clinics, visit our website at
threeriverspublichealth.org.
