H1N1 clinics canceled due to vaccine shortage
Posted By Greg Vandermeulen
Posted 17 days ago
ASIDE
Avoiding the virus
- People infected with H1N1 flu may be able to infect others from one day before getting sick to five to seven days after. This can be longer in some people, especially children and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Gel hand sanitizers should be rubbed until dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- People who are well but who have an ill family member at home with H1N1 flu can go to work/school as usual. They should monitor their health every day, and take everyday precautions.
Stay home if sick
- If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
- Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs, tissues and other related items might be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.
- H1N1 viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get infected with H1N1 virus from eating pork or pork products.
The original model was to go in once and blitz these communities. We’re going to rethink that. - Dr. Shelley Buchan
A shortage of the H1N1 vaccine has forced the postponement of all mass immunization clinics in the Central Regional Health Authority, but medical officer of health, Dr. Shelley Buchan said everyone who wants it will still get vaccinated.
Although the vaccine isn't being received in the large amounts initially expected, Buchan said it will continue to trickle into the Central RHA.
"The original model was to go in once and blitz these communities," she said. "We're going to rethink that."
Because of the supply limitations, Buchan said they will be focusing on the priority groups over the next couple of weeks.
The goal continues to be to have everyone vaccinated by Christmas.
People who are unsure of where they fit in should contact their health care provider.
Should you get the vaccine?
The speed with which the H1N1 vaccine was rolled out has alarmed some, and more than just the usual vaccine critics have expressed concern about the vaccine itself.
Dr. Buchan said all factors should be considered.
"A vaccine is like any drug," she said. "There are benefits and there are risks."
For example one out of 10 people experience a sore arm and aching muscles as result of the shot.
A small percentage will also suffer from a headache, as well as numbness and tingling in the area of the needle.
Anaphylaxis is also a very real concern, and is a reaction that has been experienced in some cases. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that if untreated can be fatal within minutes either through swelling that shuts off airways or through a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Symptoms include hives, swelling around the eyes or mouth, and difficulty breathing or swallowing.
"It's been treated on site," Buchan said. "We do have our clinics set up so if someone is experiencing signs or symptoms we can treat it."
The anaphylactic reaction is also rare, and can only occur immediately after the vaccine is received. There have also been concerns about Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a paralyzing brain disorder.
But she said there has been no evidence to show clusters of those cases from the vaccine. "The chances are one in a million, (of getting the syndrome from the vaccine)," she said.
Because people don't have a natural immunity to H1N1 all are encouraged to get vaccinated as the opportunity arises. The Central RHA will continue to publicize the changes made to clinics.
For more information, go to www.rha-central.mb.ca.
