Cochise County H1N1 vaccine clinics

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Bisbee, AZ -The Cochise County Health Department is announcing the continuation of it H1N1 vaccination clinics of this flu season.

The next series of clinics will only accept patients in the Tier 1 Priority Group and healthy children aged 5 through 18 years of age.

Two clinics will be held this week:

Thursday, November 5, 2PM - 6PM Willcox Community Center, 312 W. Stewart, Willcox, AZ

Saturday, November 7, Noon-4pm Buena High School Gymnasium, 5225 E. Buena School Blvd,Sierra Vista, AZ

Clinics in additional communities next week will be announced shortly.

All H1N1 vaccinations given by the Health Department are free of charge.

Doses will be administered on a first come, first served basis.

CDC Tier 1 Priority Group for Vaccination:
· Pregnant women,
· Children aged 6 months to 4 years,
· Persons who live with or provide care for infants aged under 6 months of age (e.g., parents, siblings, and daycare providers),
· Health-care and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material,
· Children and adolescents aged 5 to18 years that have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, and suppressed immune system).

Both nasal spray and injectable formulations of the vaccine will be available. Vaccine will not be administered to patients that are sick with fever or have flu-like symptoms, that are allergic to eggs, or that have received a nasal mist seasonal flu vaccination within the past 30 days.

All parents are asked to bring their children's immunization records (the VFC "Blue Card") with them.

For patients with underlying medical conditions the Health Department suggests that they bring with them information that confirms their diagnosis. This will allow clinical staff to determine the formulation of the vaccine they should receive.

According to the CDC, underlying medical conditions include, but are not limited to: immune suppression, pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, asthma or other problems of the lungs, sickle cell disease, and those on long-term aspirin therapy for chronic disorders.

In addition, children with any condition that affects respiratory function including neurological conditions such as intellectual and developmental disability, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, metabolic conditions or other neuromuscular disorders have higher risk.

Vaira Harik, Cochise County Health Director, explains that "we are continuing to offer the vaccine to the groups that are identified as being at high risk for illness from H1N1. Last week we held clinics in five different towns. They went very smoothly and we had enough vaccine available. We are now concentrating on Tier 1 patients as well as all school-aged children from 5 through 18 years of age."

In addition to Health Department vaccination clinics, H1N1 vaccine has also been distributed to hospitals and private providers in Cochise County.

"It is important to emphasize that the availability of vaccine has improved in the past week, but continues to be minimal and unpredictable, both nationally and here in Cochise County," Harik said. "We are very appreciative of the patience and cooperation that our community is showing. Not knowing how much vaccine is coming on a weekly basis is a challenge that all Health Departments in Arizona are facing right now."

Eventually, there will be enough vaccine available for all who wish to be vaccinated.

-Updated information about swine flu in the US can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

-Arizona-specific information about swine flu can be found at http://www.azdhs.gov/flu/h1n1/

-Cochise County will publish updates, as needed, on its website at http://cochise.az.gov/>h1n1

Basic clinic information can be found at the Health Department's H1N1 Hotline at 520-432-9410.