Your Life - Health & Fitness

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

More vaccine coming

Arriving doses designated for priority groups

Mississippi has received more swine flu vaccine, bringing the total to 78,000 doses, but like the rest of the U.S., this state of 2.9 million struggles to meet public demand.

When word spreads of available H1N1 vaccine, phones ring and lines form, as they did earlier this week at Gulport UrgiCare. Many were disappointed when they learned that this Gulfport walk-in clinic had only the nasal vaccine, a weakened form of a live virus designated for healthy patients from age 2 to 49.

“Many said they’d be back for the injectable vaccine,” said Michelle Davis, UrgiCare’s office manager.

Davis anticipated a Tuesday afternoon shipment of the injectable vaccine, a form considered safer for high-risk groups because it uses a killed virus, but it didn’t arrive.

Few Coast health providers have either vaccine available. Mississippi State Department of Health, which oversees distribution of H1N1 vaccines to private and public providers, said the vaccine’s availability is extremely limited.

“We expect that to improve in coming days,” said MSDH spokesman Liz Sharlot. “States get doses based on population and a lot of states have more people. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has told us that they have shipped out more than 22 million doses countrywide and CDC has assured us more will be available.”

The same companies making H1N1 vaccines make seasonal flu vaccines, which has made them miss CDC’s estimates of sufficient vaccine for high-risk groups by mid-October.

“Last week the health department sent out a limited number of doses to private providers who take care of children and pregnant women, since they are priority,” Sharlot said.

More injectable doses in coming weeks are designated for high-risk groups: pregnant women, caregivers of children under 6; children 6 months to 4 years and health care workers.

Providers sign an agreement to follow priorities, but not all providers are requesting the H1N1 vaccine. Because the list is not published, Sharlot advises contacting your own doctors and checking with local MSDH clinics for availability.

Not knowing when and where the vaccine is available frustrates Tammie Holland, a Biloxi accountant who is 35-weeks pregnant.

“I’m definitely in the high-risk group but neither my OBGYN or general practitioner ordered the vaccine, and the health department clinic doesn’t have it yet,” Holland said. “What am I supposed to do, stand in a long line with the general population? Because I don’t have the vaccine, I’ve been keeping myself isolated as much as I can to protect myself and my unborn child.

“I known there are many like me in high-risk groups who want the vaccine but cannot find the source.”