H1N1 shots start next week
Chief medical officer urging everyone to get immunized
By JOHN McPHEE Health Reporter
Thu. Oct 22 - 4:46 AM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=200 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#f0f0f0><IMG title="Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
" src="http://thechronicleherald.ca/photos/large/10-22-09_vaccine1.jpg" border=0>
The first 52,000 of an expected 1.4 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine arrived here on Monday.
<IMG title="Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
" src="http://thechronicleherald.ca/photos/large/10-22-09_strang.jpg" border=0>
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=8 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f0f0f0><TBODY><TR><TD class=module-titles bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc><TBODY><TR><TD class=infobox bgColor=#ffffff>WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED:
Who should and shouldn?t get the H1N1 vaccine:
?Everyone 10 years of age or older should receive one dose of adjuvanted vaccine.
?Children between six months and 10 years should receive the adjuvanted vaccine in two half-doses, administered at least 21 days apart.
?Pregnant women are advised to get one dose of unadjuvanted vaccine, though if they are 20 weeks or more into their pregnancy and the unadjuvanted vaccine isn?t available, they are advised to get the adjuvanted shot.
?Infants less than six months old aren?t vaccinated for any form of influenza.
The H1N1 vaccine is strongly recommended for:
?People under age 65 with chronic conditions
?Health care workers
?Children six months to five years old
?Pregnant women
?Household contacts and care providers for infants less than six months old
?People whose immune systems are compromised
Two new groups have been added to the list of those who are strongly recommended to get the seasonal flu vaccine:
?People living in a home that is expecting a newborn during the November to April flu season
?Anyone who lives with or cares for children less than 24 months old
Other groups previously identified as a priority for the seasonal flu vaccine include people 65 and over, residents of long-term care facilities and adults and children with chronic illnesses.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The province will begin its swine flu immunization program next week.
The first 52,000 of an expected 1.4 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine arrived Monday.
The vaccine will be administered at community clinics and doctors? offices in the province?s largest-ever immunization campaign, said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer for Nova Scotia.
The rest of the vaccine will arrive over the coming weeks.
? Check out flu activity in Canada and around the world
? British swine flu cases double in one week
He made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday, soon after the federal government approved the H1N1 vaccine for use in Canada.
"I urge all Nova Scotians to get their H1N1 immunization," Dr. Strang said.
Health Canada has identified certain groups, such as health care workers, that will benefit most from immunization. The vaccine will be distributed directly to hospitals and long-term care facilities so that staff can be immunized.
But the vaccine will be available to everyone, whether they are in the identified priority groups or not, Dr. Strang said.
"We?re not going to be turning people away."
The vaccination program will begin Wednesday or Thursday of next week, he said.
The first batch of vaccine contains an immune system booster, called an adjuvant, that has raised concerns about its safety.
Dr. Strang stressed that the benefits of the vaccine with the immune booster far outweigh any "theoretical" risks associated with the adjuvant.
"I am confident that this is a very safe vaccine. In Canada, we have a robust regulatory system. The vaccine would not be licensed if it were not safe."
Details such as schedules and the exact locations of the mass immunization clinics are still being worked out, Dr. Strang said.
The immunization announcement comes as the "second wave" of the swine flu outbreak appears to have begun in the province.
There have been sporadic cases this week, including a confirmed case of a staff member at an Antigonish school. A cluster of students have also fallen ill, likely with the H1N1 virus, Dr. Strang said.
The first wave of swine flu began in April at King?s-Edgehill School in Windsor. The outbreak spread across the province throughout the spring and summer. A Cape Breton woman died and 17 people were sent to hospital.
In the second wave, "we expect to see large numbers of people becoming ill," Dr. Strang said. "This will increase stresses on the health system."
He said young, healthy people have been hard hit by the virus, noting that they accounted for one-third of all swine flu deaths in the first wave.
Pregnant women are also more vulnerable, but it is recommended they don?t receive the adjuvanted vaccine.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said pregnant women should get one dose of the vaccine without the immunity booster. But this vaccine likely won?t be available until mid-November.
Dr. Strang also announced a change in the province?s immunization policy at the news conference.
The province is no longer recommending that only people over 65 or in long-term health facilities get the seasonal flu vaccine.
The province was acting on studies that indicated the H1N1 vaccine would not work for those who had received the seasonal flu shot.
But new information has convinced health officials to administer the vaccines at the same time. Both will be available at the vaccination clinics beginning next week, Dr. Strang said.
The federal government has shipped two million doses of the swine flu vaccine to the provinces and territories. The government aims to ship about three million doses a week.
Pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-SmithKline has a contract to produce 50.4 million doses of pandemic vaccine at its facility in Sainte-Foy, Que.
Nova Scotia health officials will launch an advertising and marketing campaign about the H1N1 virus in the coming weeks. This will include a live webcast next Thursday during which Dr. Strang will answer questions from the public.
More information is available on the province?s website, www.gov.ns.ca/H1N1, or by calling the 811 HealthLink phone line.
Chief medical officer urging everyone to get immunized
By JOHN McPHEE Health Reporter
Thu. Oct 22 - 4:46 AM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=200 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#f0f0f0><IMG title="Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
" src="http://thechronicleherald.ca/photos/large/10-22-09_vaccine1.jpg" border=0>
The first 52,000 of an expected 1.4 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine arrived here on Monday.
<IMG title="Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
" src="http://thechronicleherald.ca/photos/large/10-22-09_strang.jpg" border=0>
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia?s chief medical officer, fields questions at a news conference in Halifax on Wednesday. Dr. Strang said the first shipment of 52,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine has arrived and the province will begin immunizing the public against swine flu next week. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=8 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f0f0f0><TBODY><TR><TD class=module-titles bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc><TBODY><TR><TD class=infobox bgColor=#ffffff>WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED:
Who should and shouldn?t get the H1N1 vaccine:
?Everyone 10 years of age or older should receive one dose of adjuvanted vaccine.
?Children between six months and 10 years should receive the adjuvanted vaccine in two half-doses, administered at least 21 days apart.
?Pregnant women are advised to get one dose of unadjuvanted vaccine, though if they are 20 weeks or more into their pregnancy and the unadjuvanted vaccine isn?t available, they are advised to get the adjuvanted shot.
?Infants less than six months old aren?t vaccinated for any form of influenza.
The H1N1 vaccine is strongly recommended for:
?People under age 65 with chronic conditions
?Health care workers
?Children six months to five years old
?Pregnant women
?Household contacts and care providers for infants less than six months old
?People whose immune systems are compromised
Two new groups have been added to the list of those who are strongly recommended to get the seasonal flu vaccine:
?People living in a home that is expecting a newborn during the November to April flu season
?Anyone who lives with or cares for children less than 24 months old
Other groups previously identified as a priority for the seasonal flu vaccine include people 65 and over, residents of long-term care facilities and adults and children with chronic illnesses.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The province will begin its swine flu immunization program next week.
The first 52,000 of an expected 1.4 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine arrived Monday.
The vaccine will be administered at community clinics and doctors? offices in the province?s largest-ever immunization campaign, said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer for Nova Scotia.
The rest of the vaccine will arrive over the coming weeks.
? Check out flu activity in Canada and around the world
? British swine flu cases double in one week
He made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday, soon after the federal government approved the H1N1 vaccine for use in Canada.
"I urge all Nova Scotians to get their H1N1 immunization," Dr. Strang said.
Health Canada has identified certain groups, such as health care workers, that will benefit most from immunization. The vaccine will be distributed directly to hospitals and long-term care facilities so that staff can be immunized.
But the vaccine will be available to everyone, whether they are in the identified priority groups or not, Dr. Strang said.
"We?re not going to be turning people away."
The vaccination program will begin Wednesday or Thursday of next week, he said.
The first batch of vaccine contains an immune system booster, called an adjuvant, that has raised concerns about its safety.
Dr. Strang stressed that the benefits of the vaccine with the immune booster far outweigh any "theoretical" risks associated with the adjuvant.
"I am confident that this is a very safe vaccine. In Canada, we have a robust regulatory system. The vaccine would not be licensed if it were not safe."
Details such as schedules and the exact locations of the mass immunization clinics are still being worked out, Dr. Strang said.
The immunization announcement comes as the "second wave" of the swine flu outbreak appears to have begun in the province.
There have been sporadic cases this week, including a confirmed case of a staff member at an Antigonish school. A cluster of students have also fallen ill, likely with the H1N1 virus, Dr. Strang said.
The first wave of swine flu began in April at King?s-Edgehill School in Windsor. The outbreak spread across the province throughout the spring and summer. A Cape Breton woman died and 17 people were sent to hospital.
In the second wave, "we expect to see large numbers of people becoming ill," Dr. Strang said. "This will increase stresses on the health system."
He said young, healthy people have been hard hit by the virus, noting that they accounted for one-third of all swine flu deaths in the first wave.
Pregnant women are also more vulnerable, but it is recommended they don?t receive the adjuvanted vaccine.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said pregnant women should get one dose of the vaccine without the immunity booster. But this vaccine likely won?t be available until mid-November.
Dr. Strang also announced a change in the province?s immunization policy at the news conference.
The province is no longer recommending that only people over 65 or in long-term health facilities get the seasonal flu vaccine.
The province was acting on studies that indicated the H1N1 vaccine would not work for those who had received the seasonal flu shot.
But new information has convinced health officials to administer the vaccines at the same time. Both will be available at the vaccination clinics beginning next week, Dr. Strang said.
The federal government has shipped two million doses of the swine flu vaccine to the provinces and territories. The government aims to ship about three million doses a week.
Pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-SmithKline has a contract to produce 50.4 million doses of pandemic vaccine at its facility in Sainte-Foy, Que.
Nova Scotia health officials will launch an advertising and marketing campaign about the H1N1 virus in the coming weeks. This will include a live webcast next Thursday during which Dr. Strang will answer questions from the public.
More information is available on the province?s website, www.gov.ns.ca/H1N1, or by calling the 811 HealthLink phone line.
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