Knox County Health Department In-School H1N1 Intranasal Vaccination Clinics Continue This Week
School Schedule Included
As supplies of H1N1 intranasal vaccine arrive, Knox County Health Department (KCHD) will continue in-school vaccination clinics. This week, clinics will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 and Friday, Nov. 13. The full schedule is below for your reference. It is essentially the same schedule used in October for FluMist. KCHD will have 3,000 doses, enough for 12 schools.
(click here for more information)
Vaccine Key Points
11-9-2009- Vaccine is currently available in limited quantities. Check with your doctor.
- The 2009 H1N1 vaccine is made using the same process used for making the seasonal flu vaccines, which have a long record of producing safe seasonal influenza vaccines.
- During the upcoming weeks more vaccine will be available to the public in more places. The federal government has purchased enough products to provide a total of 250 million doses.
- Children younger than 10 years will need 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 week. However, if the second dose is separated from the first dose by at least 21 days, the second dose can be considered valid.
- Public Health officials recommend getting vaccinated even if you think you've had the flu.
- Flu vaccination will last through the entire flu season.
- Wait at least 48 hours after taking an antiviral medication (Tamiflu or Relenza) to get your flu vaccination.
- For more information about the H1N1 intranasal vaccine mist, click here
- For more information about the H1N1 flu shot, click here
This fall we will have two types of flu circulating in our community, seasonal and H1N1. It is very important for us all to take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
All Knox County residents and their families should get their seasonal flu shot as soon as possible. They are widely available through all the usual outlets and, contrary to popular myth, your immunity will last through the flu season.
The vaccine for H1N1 is not yet available, but is expected to be arriving sometime in October. Please get the H1N1 vaccine when it is available.
In the meantime, the basics for infection control are very important:
- Stay home if you're sick and don't go back to work or school until you've been
fever-free for 24 hours. - Become obsessive in washing your hands.
- Cover you cough with a tissue or your sleeve, and
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Knox County to follow (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines
- Flu Prevention Posters (click here)
- When should you seek medical care (click here)
- CDC guidelines for schools are available (click here)
- CDC guidelines for what to do if you get sick (click here)
