First shipment of H1N1 vaccines arrive

District 2 Public Health announced today that the first shipment of 2,700 doses of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine has arrived. As directed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), these doses will be given out by our 13 County Public Health Departments and will initially be designated for healthy children from 2-4 years of age. Because young children are most at risk for influenza-like-illness they are the primary focus. All of the doses in this shipment are the nasal mist type vaccine for the H1N1 virus. Only healthy individuals between the ages of 2 – 49 – those with no chronic medical conditions – are eligible for the nasal mist vaccine because it is made from a live, weakened virus. You cannot get H1N1 influenza from taking this vaccine, but you could experience some side effects, such as fever, runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, headache, or body aches.
Children through 9 years of age will require two doses of the H1N1 vaccine given a month apart. This is the same dosing requirement as the seasonal flu vaccine for children.
Public health officials point out that while this initial quantity is small, more vaccine will be shipped as it becomes available. Since we cannot anticipate demand for the vaccine, please contact your local health department to check on availability of vaccine and the best time to bring your child (or children) in for vaccination.
These first doses of the H1N1 vaccine will be available only from your local health department, but as soon as more vaccine becomes available it will be sent to all of the health care providers that signed up to give the H1N1 vaccine. Future shipments of vaccine will also include injectable vaccine (flu shots).