H1N1 & Your Family

To our parent-friends, here's the latest info we know of about the H1N1 vaccine.

The Health Dept is strongly recommending certain groups be vaccinated for influenza:

· Household members with infants under 6 months old.
· Children 6 months to 24 months old
· Children with health conditions that would put them at risk for severe influenza: asthma, diabetes, seizures, heart problems, CP, etc.
· Children who have parents with health conditions that put them at risk: Asthma, diabetes, etc.
· Pregnant women.

This vaccine is just another flu vaccine. It is made by the same companies, using the same techniques that have been used to create hundreds of millions of doses of flu vaccine. The only difference is the virus and they change the virus in the flu vaccines from year to year all the time. The best way to avoid the complications of influenza is to be vaccinated.

Kids under 10 years need 2 doses of H1N1 vaccine separated by 28 days. Kids under 2 years, or have an underlying medical condition including asthma cannot have the mist. Both nasal and injected versions are equally effective, if you actually catch the correct strain of h1n1 that your vaccine fights (in other words the strain doesn't mutate). Those under 2 years, those over 49 years, those with underlying medical conditions and those pregnant require the injected form. The nasal form contains a live, weakened H1N1 virus whereas the injected contains the killed version. If your child received the MMR, Varicella (chickenpox) or Seasonal FluMist vaccine within the past month, they must wait at least 28 days until they can get the H1N1Flumist.

In either case, your body goes into defense mode when the virus is introduced to the blood stream creating specific antibodies against the virus. We've heard the nasal form may be more effective because it creates immunity at the nasal passages which is where viruses are introduced in the open environment and how we get sick in the first place.

Our 2 local hospitals received 100 nasal doses each this week, but there are 2000 employees at one. Our family received the mist version 2 days ago so be persistent with your pediatrician's office making calls daily until they get it in.