H1N1 UPDATE ATTENTION* |
US President Barack Obama declared swine flu a national emergency on 23 October.
What does this really mean?Today's FAQ: What To Do If You Get Sick: 2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu
Washington State H1N1 Epidemiology Update FAQ
WA State DOH Situation Report for Nov 16, 2009
Region 1 Update (north 5 counties)
Island County Surveillance Statistics
Brief Video about "Swine Flu" from the Department of Health (Español)
http://www.flu.gov/live/ (a repeating pod cast from CDC)
General Information Source About H1N1 Influenza
Communicable Disease Alert: Pneumococcal Vaccination and Influenza
This information is brought to you by the Island County Health DepartmentICPHICPH Subject IndexCommunity Assessment & DevelopmentEnvironmental HealthCommunity & Family Health (nursing)Staff RosterCHAB |
Local Flu Vaccine News: Local flu hotline: (360) 678-5111 x6011 The Health Department has just completed two H1N1 vaccination clinics for high priority individuals where 813 inoculations were administered. This, in addition to having over 12,000 doses of vaccine drop-shipped to various clinics around Island County and to our two hospitals. Additional supplies of vaccine are being ordered weekly primarily to our pediatric clinic activities. Our most recent allotment of the vaccine was delivered in most part to the Naval Hospital specifically for the children yet unvaccinated who are followed in their clinic. (NHOH clinics provide services for the majority of Oak Harbor children yet unvaccinated, and the majority of the county's obstetric patients.) We encourage our residents to call their health care provider's clinic for information regarding if/when they are able to make the H1N1 vaccine available, or for specific instructions for being administered the vaccine. Not all clinics have chosen to participate in the vaccine distribution effort. In mid-to-late November the health department will be scheduling clinics at various health department sites to dispense vaccine to priority patients of local non-participating providers, and distributing vaccines to our local participating pharmacies. The latter began receiving their supplies of vaccine on 18 Nov. Please understand that presently this vaccine is being offered on a priority basis to those who are most at risk from serious effects of this particular viral infection, and to those who provide critical infrastructure services to our community:
Please be advised that public health is in the distribution process on this vaccine issue, not a regulatory one. Clinical assessment of any particular patient's need overrides all the above if the situation warrants... Forms of vaccine being supplied: Some of the H1N1 vaccine doses will be thimerosal-free (single dose injections); multi-dose vials of the vaccine will contain trace amounts of thimerosal; and some of the vaccine will be in the nasal mist form (a live attenuated vaccine, available to all from age 2 years thru 49 years who are healthy - no asthma or chronic lung disease). FluMist should not be administered to women who may be pregnant. Health care workers are again reminded that the live attenuated vaccine (FluMist) is safe in nearly all settings. The only health care workers who should not receive the attenuated vaccine are those caring for the severely immunocompromised person, notably stem cell transplant patients or those on immunosuppressants. (However, even in that setting, the risk is entirely theoretical and has never been documented empirically.) * The following clinics and local pharmacies are now participating in the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine (again, to priority listed residents). Please call ahead to see if an appointment is required to receive the vaccine:
On Camano Island, residents should read the S-C Newspaper and/or watch this website for information about time and places for receiving the vaccine. Phibbs Pharmacy does not administer influenza vaccine. Again, the Camano Community Clinic and the Health Department are administering the vaccine as supplies permit. The vaccine will become available at Stanwood or Everett Clinics and pharmacies as the vaccine becomes available to them. Please note: clinic providers who have registered to receive vaccine are continually receiving vaccine as it becomes available. 700 doses of a previous shipment of vaccine were made available to the mass vaccination clinic held on October 31 at Heritage Park in Stanwood to provide access for Island County's Camano residents. This was a joint project by the Stanwood and Everett Clinics, Stanwood-Camano Fire Department, and the health departments of Snohomish and Island County. The above priority group members were the focus of this round of H1N1 vaccinations. The government reports that there are delays in the delivery of vaccines. It had hoped to roll out 120 million doses nationwide by mid-October. It now hopes for about 50 million by mid-November and 150 million by December. Supplies of vaccine are unpredictable and will be distributed as they are made available. We expect to be receiving enough vaccine by mid December to be able to offer the vaccine to any who wish to receive it, but in the meantime, non-pharmaceutical measures will reduce the likelihood of your contracting the illness:
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT H1N1 VACCINE OFFERS NO PROTECTION FROM THE SEASONAL FLU. Everyone is encouraged to get the seasonal flu vaccine — especially those over age 65, and children under age 5. These folks are particularly susceptible to the ravages of seasonal influenza. SEASONAL FLU VACCINE The Health Department has held 3 mass clinics for seasonal flu vaccine (South Whidbey, Camano Island and Coupeville), and has totally depleted our supply of seasonal vaccine, as have all pharmacies in Island County. Only 2/3 of our original vaccine order was filled and delivered. We have ordered additional supplies of seasonal vaccine, but do not anticipate delivery before December. Where is SEASONAL FLU VACCINE still available?
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