Lexington-Fayette County Health Department: A note on H1N1 vaccines from the commissioner
A note on H1N1 vaccines from the commissioner
Nov. 3, 2009
Dear Community,
Many of you are asking when we will have H1N1 flu vaccine for general use. We do not know for sure but are hearing that it may be available in December. The problem is a delay in production coupled with federal and state requirements to use it on higher risk populations before others. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department (LFCHD) is following those guidelines and releasing it accordingly to those health care providers who have applied to receive it and use the vaccine according to the federal guidelines.
We have all been frustrated by the unpredictability of the amount and type of formulations and the slow delivery of the H1N1 vaccine since we know the vaccine is our best tool to fight the H1N1 virus. To date Kentucky has received 342,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine which would cover roughly 8% of Kentucky’s population. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has only received enough vaccine to cover 8.44% of its population, and this vaccine has been distributed to hospitals, physician practices/clinics, emergency medical services, and other health care workers. On Oct. 31, LFCHD held its first public clinic, targeting Fayette County kids with underlying health conditions, and provided more than 1,600 shots to the community.
Due to the limited availability of vaccine, LFCHD will continue to target H1N1 vaccine to the five priority groups who are more likely to come down with H1N1 disease and have the highest risk for developing more severe disease and complications. Those priority groups are:
• Essential health care workers and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients and infectious material
• Children aged 6 months to 24 years old
• Pregnant women
• Household members and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age
• People aged 25 to 64 years with chronic underlying medical conditions
On Saturday, Nov. 7, we will host two clinics 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Bryan Station and Paul Laurence Dunbar high schools, with a focus on those target groups. All H1N1 shots provided by LFCHD will be free of charge.
Please note that individuals who are 65 years and older are encouraged to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza and are not a target group for novel H1N1 vaccination. It appears that people born before 1957 were exposed to an influenza virus similar to the 2009 H1N1 virus at some time in their past and they possess partial immunity to the H1N1 virus. Therefore, those 65 and older and other individuals not in one of the above identified target groups should be encouraged to seek vaccination when the H1N1 vaccine is more readily available – again hopefully in December/January time frame.
For more information on LFCHD-sponsored mass H1N1 vaccination clinics, please go to www.LexFluCrew.com. The November mass vaccination clinics will focus on immunizing the high-risk H1N1 priority groups, and hopefully we will have enough H1N1 vaccine to expand immunization efforts to anyone who wants to avoid getting H1N1 flu by December/January.
Sincerely,
Melinda G. Rowe, MD, MBA/MPH
Commissioner of Health
Lexington-Fayette County Health Department
Dear Community,
Many of you are asking when we will have H1N1 flu vaccine for general use. We do not know for sure but are hearing that it may be available in December. The problem is a delay in production coupled with federal and state requirements to use it on higher risk populations before others. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department (LFCHD) is following those guidelines and releasing it accordingly to those health care providers who have applied to receive it and use the vaccine according to the federal guidelines.
We have all been frustrated by the unpredictability of the amount and type of formulations and the slow delivery of the H1N1 vaccine since we know the vaccine is our best tool to fight the H1N1 virus. To date Kentucky has received 342,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine which would cover roughly 8% of Kentucky’s population. The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has only received enough vaccine to cover 8.44% of its population, and this vaccine has been distributed to hospitals, physician practices/clinics, emergency medical services, and other health care workers. On Oct. 31, LFCHD held its first public clinic, targeting Fayette County kids with underlying health conditions, and provided more than 1,600 shots to the community.
Due to the limited availability of vaccine, LFCHD will continue to target H1N1 vaccine to the five priority groups who are more likely to come down with H1N1 disease and have the highest risk for developing more severe disease and complications. Those priority groups are:
• Essential health care workers and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients and infectious material
• Children aged 6 months to 24 years old
• Pregnant women
• Household members and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age
• People aged 25 to 64 years with chronic underlying medical conditions
On Saturday, Nov. 7, we will host two clinics 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Bryan Station and Paul Laurence Dunbar high schools, with a focus on those target groups. All H1N1 shots provided by LFCHD will be free of charge.
Please note that individuals who are 65 years and older are encouraged to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza and are not a target group for novel H1N1 vaccination. It appears that people born before 1957 were exposed to an influenza virus similar to the 2009 H1N1 virus at some time in their past and they possess partial immunity to the H1N1 virus. Therefore, those 65 and older and other individuals not in one of the above identified target groups should be encouraged to seek vaccination when the H1N1 vaccine is more readily available – again hopefully in December/January time frame.
For more information on LFCHD-sponsored mass H1N1 vaccination clinics, please go to www.LexFluCrew.com. The November mass vaccination clinics will focus on immunizing the high-risk H1N1 priority groups, and hopefully we will have enough H1N1 vaccine to expand immunization efforts to anyone who wants to avoid getting H1N1 flu by December/January.
Sincerely,
Melinda G. Rowe, MD, MBA/MPH
Commissioner of Health
Lexington-Fayette County Health Department