Public Health will give out free vaccine on Jan. 27 at Vets
Building
The San Benito County Public Health Department has scheduled a
free H1N1 vaccination clinic for Wednesday, January 27 from 1:30
p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial building for all
residents of San Benito County who wish to protect themselves from
H1N1 influenza.
Public Health will give out free vaccine on Jan. 27 at Vets Building
The San Benito County Public Health Department has scheduled a free H1N1 vaccination clinic for Wednesday, January 27 from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial building for all residents of San Benito County who wish to protect themselves from H1N1 influenza.
The health staff anticipates that they will have more than 3,000 doses of vaccine available for infants from 6 months of age through seniors.
Due to furloughs, the Public Health Department will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3. The San Benito Health Foundation will accept appointments for H1N1 vaccination in partnership with Public Health from Dec. 22 through Jan. 5. Please call the SBHF at 637-5306 to inquire about appointments.
Public Health clinics will resume on Wednesdays only beginning Jan. 6, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. until further notice. Residents should check with their primary healthcare provider for vaccine availability prior to contacting the Health Department to make an appointment.
As of Dec. 9, illnesses due to H1N1 remained widespread in California and above normal for this time of year, according to health staff. As with national data, almost all influenza viruses detected over the last week continue to be 2009 H1N1.
There have been 7,546 hospitalizations and/or fatalities, with 1,442 cases requiring intensive care and a total of 397 deaths reported to date in California since the beginning of the pandemic.
Of those, 2,711 hospitalized or fatal 2009 H1N1 influenza cases, including 44 deaths, have been reported in pediatric patients 18 years or younger. As in previous weeks, the rate of hospitalizations remains highest among children under one year of age. Three cases of oseltamivir resistance have been identified in California residents with laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza infections.
Everyone is advised to continue to take common-sense steps like washing your hands frequently; covering your mouth with your arm when you cough and sneeze; and staying home when you are sick to help protect others from the flu.
The CDC has recently declared a non-safety recall of injectable vaccine designed for children 6-35 months, manufactured by Sanofi-Pasteur. In California, approximately 159 providers are affected and 47,800 doses. CDPH and the manufacturer will be contacting providers in California who have received this vaccine. None of the recalled vaccine has been administered or distributed to other providers by the San Benito County public health department.
The San Benito County Public Health Services staff reviewed its H1N1 vaccine inventory and it has never received any of the specified lot numbers listed on the recall.
Parents should keep in mind that only specified lots of 2009 H1N1 Pediatric Vaccine for children, 6 through 35 months in prefilled syringes are affected and the reasons for the recall are not related to its safety, but because it’s potency falls slightly out of the range suggested.
Children who were vaccinated from the lots will still have a protective response as long as they completed the two-vaccine series, and they will not need another dose.
The CDC does recommend that all children under 10 years old should get two doses of H1N1 vaccine, approximately a month apart for the optimal immune response.
For more information and questions on the recall including lot numbers go to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/syringes_qa.htm
For more information on the Seasonal and H1N1 influenza please call the Health Department at 637-5367 or check the California Department of Public Health’s Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov.
