Another Informational Resource About H1N1 (Swine) Flu

As flu season gets underway, we continue to post the latest information and updates here on our blog as well as at www.mass.gov/flu. But we also want to let folks know about another valuable place on the web to stay up to date on what's happening with seasonal and H1N1 flu. It's a website called www.flu.gov, brought to you by the US Department of Health and Human Services. There's some terrific information on vaccine myths vs. facts, a flu self-evaluation tool which can help reduce trips to the doctor's office or emergency room, plenty of multimedia educational materials, and a lot more. So take a moment to click through to the website for a look around, and be sure to bookmark it for future reference as flu season continues.

Comments

[Steffie]

First of all I am in the low priority over 65 group but have COPD and an autoimmune disease (Crohns). Isn't there any way to lump those of us with underlying conditions in with the healthy 25 to 64 year olds?

Secondly, I am allergic to antibiotics in vaccines and can only receive the swine flu vaccine from Sanofi Aventis as it is the only one that does not contain any antibiotics. How do I find a clinic that has this vaccine? My PCP only has vaccine from Novartis.

My town does not even have any vaccine as yet and doesn't know what manufacturer it is going to get it from. My neighbor has the flu and I'm a bit scared esp. after I saw the report from the AMA indicating that the elderly really are at risk after all. 20% of those over 65 that are hospitalized die from the swine flu.

Please, any suggestions?

[ED]

I am having a similar problem as Becca above. My wife is pregnant and her OB is not giving the H1N1 shot neither is her primary. I called one of the "community health centers" and they are offering it but only to there patients. Should I switch doctors? I am very confused, please help.

Thanks

[helen Nye]

Given the CDC's repeated warnings, and the amount of press given, why is it taking so long to vaccinate pregnant women? My daughter-in-law has not been able to locate H1N1 vaccine, nor a seasonal flu shot without Thirmisol. Her obstetrician could not tell her when or where she could get either shot. ----------------------------------------------------
DPH RESPONDS: Thank you for your question and we understand your frustration. As we mentioned in our blog posting, this is an unprecedented flu season. There are five major vaccine manufacturers who are working day and night to produce both seasonal and H1N1 (swine) flu vaccines during the same time period. This has never been done before and, as a result, there have been some interruptions in the supply chain for both vaccines. Consequently, the availability of vaccine at any given provider site at any given time may be sporadic at this time. However, we have only received a very small allotment of the total amount of H1N1 vaccine expected, and every effort is being made to ensure that providers who serve high-priority groups, such as pregnant women, will receive vaccine as soon as possible. The single most effective way that you can stay informed about the availability of seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine in your community is by staying in touch with your health care provider, and by visiting http://flu.masspro.org where you'll find a database of locations currently offering flu vaccines, searchable by your zip code.

[Jeremy McMahon]

I am the father of an eleven week old and I believe, from what I've read, that because my son cannot receive the vaccine, my wife and I will be in the priority group. Howver, my PCP clinic didn't have a clue when, or even if they were going to get doses of the vaccine and told me to "call back at the end of the month". My son's pediatrician, was similarly vague and advised me to call my town hall. You can imagine how helpful they were.

The lack of clear information, is extrememly frustrating, especially combined with the building media hysteria.

Does anyone have any idea how the distribution of the vaccine is going to be coordinated throughout the state? Are my wife and I just going to end up getting in line like everyone else, or does our son's status really put us in a priority group? -------------------------------------------------

DPH RESPONDS: Thank you for your questions. We certainly understand your frustration, we hear on the news and from experts how important it is to get vaccinated against H1N1, but as of now it’s difficult to find. All vaccine supplies are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the community-level provider (physician’s offices, hospitals, community health centers, pharmacies, local public health departments, etc.) While DPH is aware of the total number of doses of vaccine that will be distributed overall to locations within Massachusetts each week, we do not have detailed information on whether or when a specific provider location will receive shipments of vaccine. You can visit http://flu.masspro.org, to find out if there are any public flu clinics planned for your area, including vaccination clinics at chain pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreen’s or Rite Aid. We also encourage you to keep in close contact with your health care provider(s) to stay updated on when they expect to receive vaccine supplies from the manufacturer, and to schedule an office visit to get vaccinated when they do.

[Rob Smith]

Thank you for the answers to "RichC" and myself. But now I have another question -- what do you mean by "community health centers"? Are you talking about things like local boards of health? Or community walk-in healthcare practicses(whether privately-run or municipally-run)? I ask because in my town the board of health will be doing clinics for the high-risk groups, but not until late October and not before first doing vaccinations for public school students in the public schools (which doesn't help high-risk people who aren't public school students). ------------------- DPH RESPONDS: You can find more information on the role of Massachusetts community health centers, as well as locate a center near you, at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers website at http://www.massleague.org.

[Becca]

Regarding your response: "By the end of this week (October 9th), all Massachusetts hospitals and community health centers, many pediatric care providers, and some obstetric care providers will have received small quantities of H1N1 vaccine."

Are you referring to the intranasal vaccine, the injectable vaccine, or both? If this does not include the injectable vaccine, when will the facilities/providers mentioned above be receiving H1N1 vaccine for injection?

I am late in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy with asthma and so far have not been able to obtain any information from my OB, internist, the local hospital, or local pharmacies regarding when the shots will be available for patients. My local hospital thinks it may receive the injectable vaccine next week but is not sure yet if the initial doses will be reserved exclusively for healthcare workers.

Thanks!
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DPH RESPONDS: Thanks for your question. The first shipment of H1N1 vaccine we received was in the form of the intranasal vaccine. Based on what we have been told by the federal government, we are expecting to receive shipments of the “inactivated” 2009 H1N1 vaccine, also known as the flu shot, in the next several weeks. We suggest that you contact your regular health care provider to make an appointment to be vaccinated once it is available.

[Rob Smith]

You say: "People who are in a high-priority group to get vaccinated should contact their health care provider to find out when they can schedule an appointment to get the H1N1 vaccine."

That's well and good, but what if (a) they don't have a health care provider, or (b) their health care provider isn't going to be getting any H1N1 vaccine? What are high-priority people in those situations supposed to do? Is their only option to wait until the large-scale public clinics in late November/December? Or will there be any "targeted" clinics sooner than that for high-priority people who do not have health care providers or cannot get access to the vaccine through their health care providers? And if so, how do they find out about them? -----------------------------------

DPH RESPONDS: Thank you for your questions. All health care providers can register to receive the H1N1 vaccine; however, if person does not have a health care provider and is unable to wait for a public clinic, we suggest that you call your local community health center as they are also receiving allocations of the H1N1 vaccine.

[Maureen Cunningham]

I am 55 years old, diabetic and in remission. My primary care physician told me that I would not be receiving the H1N1 from her office during the first phase of innoculations. I should check back in case there is a surplus. I did inform her that both my oncologist and my endocrinologist advised that I receive it. I now have the opinion that this vaccine is not necessary, even though I have been receiving the flu shot for several years.
I called my 13 year old's pediatrician and was told that she did not need to receive it.

Is the state again wasting our tax dollars on a hoax, or are our doctors not qualified.

[RichC]

You keep mentioning flu.masspro.org as a way to find out about public clinics.

Will this website be listing small, "restricted" clinics that are targeting people in the high-risk groups? (That's what I'm concerned about because I want to get my 3yo vaccinated right away and it is unclear if his pediatrician will be getting any H1N1 vaccine). Or will the website only be listing large "open" clinics? Because that's useless to me and my child because those clinics won't be for another 5-6 weeks. -----------------------------
DPH RESPONDS: Thank you for your questions. Masspro is meant to list large public clinics, not private practices that are offering vaccine to high priority groups. However, the first doses of H1N1 vaccine are being prioritized to pediatricians and family physicians that see children, as well as hospitals and community health centers and other places that see children. Over the next 2 weeks they all should have received some doses of H1N1 vaccine. We would recommend emailing or calling your provider to see if they can book an appointment for your child to get vaccinated.

[Marco]

where can I go to get the H1N1 shot? --------------------------

DPH RESPONDS: By the end of this week (October 9th), all Massachusetts hospitals and community health centers, many pediatric care providers, and some obstetric care providers will have received small quantities of H1N1 vaccine. However, these quantities represent only 3% of the total amount of H1N1 vaccine we expect to receive this flu season. More vaccine is expected from the federal government each week to build on those quantities and expand that distribution.

People who are in a high-priority group to get vaccinated should contact their health care provider to find out when they can schedule an appointment to get the H1N1 vaccine. Public health and school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics are expected in November and December, and will be posted at http://flu.masspro.org as they are scheduled.

[Emily Erikson]

All of these sites are great, but for the most part they present information that's been well known for some time (flu facts and myths for example). It would be great to know exactly where in the process things are. Domino's pizza has a great utility that shows you at what point your pizza is (making the dough, preparing the sauce, baking, etc.). A visual that laid out what where we are in the process of distributing the vaccine would be extremely helpful. Especially if you could give some detail about exactly how the distribution process is working.

My specific question is that the news here is that providers are beginning to receive very small shipments of the vaccine. When I call my providers (doctor and pediatrician) they say that they have no news whatsoever. My doctor's office said to call back in a month. It's not clear to me how both of these pieces of information can be correct.

Related to this, if you are part of a vulnerable population, that has been designated a priority by the CDC, how are you supposed to find out where you can get the vaccine (given that the providers seem to have no information)? Unfortunately masspro.flu (flu.masspro) does not have information about H1N1 vaccines as of yet. I'm guessing that is because clinics won't start for awhile. but this also means that that site isn't so useful for people that should get the vaccine sooner rather than later. --------------------------

DPH RESPONDS: Thank you for your questions. By the end of this week (October 9th), all Massachusetts hospitals and community health centers, many pediatric care providers, and some obstetric care providers will have received small quantities of H1N1 vaccine. However, these quantities represent only 3% of the total amount of H1N1 vaccine we expect to receive this flu season. More vaccine is expected from the federal government each week to build on those quantities and expand that distribution.

People who are in a high-priority group to get vaccinated should contact their health care provider to find out when they can schedule an appointment to get the H1N1 vaccine. Public health and school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics are expected in November and December, and will be posted at http://flu.masspro.org as they are scheduled.

In the meantime, you can find a public flu clinic offering seasonal flu vaccine by visiting http://flu.masspro.org.