State health officials say it’s a good idean to get vaccinated for the season flu earlier than usual this year before the expected rush for a Swine Flu vaccine that is currently under development.
The Swine Flu vaccine is expected to arrive in Kansas by October, but it won’t protect against common, seasonal flu. Separate vaccinations will be needed to be fully protected this flue season, according to Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, director of the division of Health a the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
And large quantities of seasonal flu vaccine will be available later this month or in early September, which gives people the chance to get one vaccination out of the way. The vaccine for Swine Flu ? known as the H1N1 virus ? is undergoing clinical trials and should be made available by early October or sooner.
"The sooner that people receive their seasonal flu vaccination, the better," Eberhart-Phillips said. "Regardless of how early individuals receive the vaccination, they will have protection from seasonal flu throughout the season."
If approved, the H1N1 vaccine will initially be made available to individuals in certain groups, as determined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
These groups have been identified as having the highest risk of having severe illness with the H1N1 virus.
Depending upon the initial availability of the vaccine, further prioritization may have to be done within these initial groups.
The groups identified in the guidance are as follows:
Pregnant women.
Household contacts and caregivers of infants younger than 6 months of age.
All children and young adults ages 6 months through 24 years.
Healthcare personnel
People aged 25-64 years with high-risk medical conditions.
KDHE has established a phone number for concerned Kansans to call with questions about the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus.
The toll-free number is 1-877-427-7317. Operators will be available to answer questions from 8 a.m. ? 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Persons calling will be directed to press "1" on their touch-tone phone to be directed to an operator who can answer questions.
