H1N1 vaccine arrives in Gulf County

It's here.

Last week, Gulf County received its first shipment of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine to protect residents against a new strain of the influenza virus known commonly as "swine flu."

The Gulf County Health Department received 100 units of the vaccine in nasal spray form and 100 units in shot form from the state Department of Health (DOH).

The units will be equally divided among health department offices in Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka.

The Wewahitchka Medical Center has also received a shipment of the nasal spray vaccine.

The local health agencies are following Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines in distributing the vaccines, which are free to the public.

Gulf County Health Department operations manager Clarissa Herndon said five "target groups" will be given priority: pregnant women, care givers of infants, health care workers, young children and those with underlying chronic conditions.

Pregnant women, those with chronic medical conditions, weakened immune systems or those allergic to eggs should not have the nasal spray, but are encouraged to receive the vaccine in shot form.

The nasal spray vaccine is made with live, weakened viruses, and is approved for healthy persons aged 2-49.

The H1N1 shot is an inactivated vaccine (containing a killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. It is approved for ages 6 months and older.

Because the nasal spray has more restrictions than the shot, Herndon said the county health department will not receive any more once they've exhausted the initial supply.

Other shipments of the H1N1 shot will "trickle in week by week," Herndon said.

Children younger than 10 years old must receive two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, spaced four weeks apart.

Though initially conceived as a two-shot vaccine for the general population, most people will benefit from only one shot.

"That's one thing that changed for the better," noted Herndon.

The Gulf County Health Department invites all pregnant women and caregivers of infants to come in and receive the first supply of the H1N1 vaccine.

As more of the vaccine becomes available, the health department will begin vaccinating the county's 2,014 school children.

This summer, in anticipation of a greater supply of the vaccine, the health department conducted a "Point of Distribution" (POD) exercise at Port St. Joe Elementary School.

Though the POD format would have allowed for the rapid vaccination of an entire school population, Herndon said the health department must now make do with what it has.

School children will now be vaccinated in stages, with health department staff administering shots at one school at a time.

Before vaccination, all students must submit signed parent consent forms. The health department submitted the forms for final approval to school health coordinator Regina Washabaugh on Tuesday.

Because flu-like illnesses have been so prevalent in Gulf County and communities across the U.S., the CDC has instructed health agencies to no longer differentiate between H1N1 and the regular flu when treating individuals.

The health department still conducts a "rapid swab" test, a Q-tip swab of the nose which tests for two flu strains, but no longer forwards positive results to DOH for H1N1 confirmation.

 Exceptions are cases where "clusters" occur, such as when multiple school children from the same class present flu-like symptoms.

"We’ve seen an increase in flu-like illnesses," said Herndon. "It's been steady going through the schools, businesses and community at large."

Herndon reminds residents to seek treatment within 48 hours of onset of symptoms, which include fever, runny nose, scratchy throat, nausea and exhaustion.

A typical treatment is a dose of the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu.

Don't forget the seasonal flu

Wewahitchka Medical Center manager Tina Pate has enlisted the help of Gulf County Sheriff Joe Nugent in raising public awareness of the need for seasonal flu vaccination.

Nugent is the poster boy of Wewahitchka Medical Center's "I Shot the Sheriff Campaign," which has already encouraged approximately 100 people to receive their flu shot.

According to Pate, only 30 residents received their flu shot from the center last year. She credits the upswing to the media's coverage of the H1N1 virus.

"I don't want to say H1N1 has been a good thing, but it certainly has brought about the awareness of getting the flu shot," said Pate.

Though H1N1 fatalities routinely make the news, the seasonal flu can often be deadly.

The CDC reports that 5 percent of winter deaths are caused by the seasonal flu.

"When kids are young, we try to make sure they get their immunizations and vaccines, but as we get older, people do not want to get their shots," said Pate.

She noted that flu shots - $16 at the center and covered by Medicare - are especially important for at risk populations, which include the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

The flu shot safeguards against the season's predominant flu strain, as determined by the CDC.

Those who have the shot are protected throughout the flu season, which extends from October to May.

Seasonal flu shots are also available at the Gulf County Health Department's two locations.

Last Friday, the health department vaccinated 153 residents with the seasonal flu shot at the Senior Citizens' Center's annual health fair.

The health department will host flu clinics every Tuesday. Given the increased number of patients, it is best to make an appointment.

The Gulf County Health Department invites all pregnant women and caregivers of infants to come in and receive the first supply of the H1N1 vaccine.

For more information, call the health department, 850-227-1276.

On the Web

For updated information on the H1N1 virus, visit the Swine Flu Info Center on our website, www.starfl.com