Relief coming soon
The first shipment of the H1N1 vaccine was delivered to Johnson County Monday with more on the way. Paula Mandel, the director of nursing with the Johnson County Health Department, said there are five priority groups they want to receive the vaccine or nasal spray as soon as possible; however, no group has precedence over the other. Pregnant women, those who live or care for an infant under six months old, health care service providers, those who are six months to 24 years old and those who are 25 to 64 years old who have a chronic medical condition are the main concern. "We’re not focusing on one group – we’re trying to get all five," Mandel said. "The vaccine is going to help those priority groups most at risk." Mandel said that they are not totally sure how many cases of H1N1 there are. It is not required for hospitals and doctors’ offices to report H1N1 – they simply have to report hospitalization and death. Likewise, schools report that they have sick kids, but they have no way of knowing whether the students have H1N1, which was formally known as swine flu. Health care workers at Wishard Hospital were among the first in the state to receive the vaccine after Gov. Mitch Daniels spoke at the facility Monday. Registered nurse Heather Hess took the vaccine not only for herself on Monday, but also for her patients and others she is around daily. "It’s a good idea," Hess said. "In the health care business, we have to protect ourselves and protect our patients." According to a Consumer Reports poll, 43 percent of adults say they don’t plan on getting the vaccine immediately. Instead, they plan on waiting to make sure there are no unforeseen problems with the vaccine, despite the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It’s undeniable that more people would be sick," said Charles Miramonti an emergency room physician, answering a question about the necessity of the vaccine. Miramonti was the first person in Indiana to receive the vaccine, is not worried about unforeseen side effects. Jay Butler, director of the CDC’s H1N1 task force, said between 10 and 20 million doses of the vaccine are to be produced each week and shipped across the country. However, they warn there could be delays in the process. "Is it fast enough?" he asked. "No, but it’s feasible. It’s what can be done." Franklin College held a training session yesterday to ensure they would be able to immunize students on campus, who fall into one of the priority groups. "We’ve been working real closely with the local health department to facilitate that happening on campus," Health Services Coordinator Terri Nigh said. "We are going to be ready when they say that we can get it." There are two forms of the immunization: the nasal spray, which arrived Monday, and the normal injection, which is expected to become available in the coming weeks. The nasal spray is recommended for healthy, active and non-pregnant people ages two to 49. "Immunizations have played a key role over history and they are one of our greatest tools in public health for the prevention of disease," said Judy Monroe, the state Health Commissioner. "The H1N1 flu vaccine is safe and effective, and it’s a way to protect you and your family against the influenza virus."
