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Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Clinics begin swine flu vaccinations

The first day of swine flu vaccines for high-priority groups — the pregnant, the young and those who care for them — was steady but calm at Mississippi State Department of Health’s eight clinics on the Coast.

On Monday the demeanor of the first to come to the clinics impressed Dr. Robert Travnicek, Coastal Plains Public Health District health officer. Some U.S. regions have faced anger and long lines.

“It looks as though, because we went through Katrina, calm is prevailing here,” Travnicek said after making his rounds of the clinics. “This H1N1 flu is not a Category 5 flu. There’s a nice flow of people in the clinics, and there seems to be limited waiting,”

MSDH announced Friday it has received 223,8000 vaccine doses from stock controlled by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more expected in coming weeks for schools and public and private medical providers. Vaccine production is slower than predicted, so those not at high risk are asked to wait until the most vulnerable get their shots.

“The H1N1 is no worse than seasonal flu, but this one primarily affects children up to age 24 and pregnant woman,” Travnicek said.

“There is enough vaccine to do high-risk groups. Seniors are not at great risk for this flu so we’ve asked them to step aside for their grandchildren until more H1N1 vaccine arrives.”

At least 114 U.S. children and teens have died from swine flu. Last week some private clinics and doctors’ offices in Mississippi received limited supplies of nasal-mist vaccine, a weakened form of a live virus, designated for healthy patients from age 2 to 49.

The injectable vaccine now available at MSDH clinics is a killed form for the H1N1 virus. High-priority groups include pregnant women; parents and anyone else living in the house with an infant under 6 months; and children 6 months through 4 years old.

A free national school vaccination program was created because of the H1N1 virus threat to the young, unlike the seasonal flu that kills more elderly. Coast school districts remain on hold to hear when their vaccines will arrive. The Biloxi School District is typical of the process all school districts face, with Step 1 being to get “adopted” by a local hospital or physician.

“For us, it is Biloxi Regional Medical Center, so our vaccine has been ordered through them,” said Jalena Taylor, Biloxi’s district school nurse. “It’s good that the school nurses will have help from the Biloxi Regional staff and won’t have to go solo.”

The next step will be to receive an H1N1 kit for each student. Taylor said MSDH will send the kits, which include vaccine information and a parental consent form, to the school districts.

“We haven’t received kits yet, so we suspect the vaccine is several weeks away. When concerned parents call, possibly because of a child’s pre-existing health conditions, I suggest they go to the health department clinic and not wait for the school to get it.”