Despite Vaccine Shortage H1N1 Vaccinations Progressing Rapidly, Mills Says

[Commonground]

10/29/2009 12:43 PM ET

Maine CDC Director Dr. Dora Mills says some 99,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to have been administered by the end of next week.

The vaccine for the H1N1 virus is still trickling into the state slowly, but vaccination against the H1N1 virus is progressing at "unprecedented speed." That's according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Dora Mills, who says that some 12,000 school kids were vaccinated in Maine this week.

Mills says several flu shot clinics are scheduled for next week, most of them in schools. In addition, she says the Maine CDC received its first vaccine last week for pregnant women, a group considered at high risk for the illness.

She says 44,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in Maine this week, bringing the total number of doses received to 99,000.

Mills says the so-called swine flu is now widespread in Maine, and the state is seeing in increase in visits to health care providers and higher rates of school absenteeism, especially in southern Maine. Mills says there have been nine outbreaks in schools and other settings.

She says Piscataquis County has recorded its first confirmed case of the disease. She says two people were hospitalized for the illness this week, but they have been discharged and are recovering at home.

http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNews/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3483/ItemId/9571/Default.aspx

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Despite Vaccine Shortage H1N1 Vaccinations Progressing Rapidly, Mills Says

Swine flu 'widespread' in Maine

<TABLE class=byln cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=428 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD class=byln width=328>10/29/2009, 10:30 a.m. PDT GLENN ADAMS
The Associated Press
</TD><TD width=3></TD><TD width=97></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
(AP) ? AUGUSTA, Maine - While swine flu is "quite widespread" in parts of Maine, the state has only enough vaccine to administer to one in seven people among those considered high risk for contracting the illness, the state's top health official said Thursday.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also said that despite delays in the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine, the state has immunized 12,000 schoolchildren this week alone and more school clinics are planned for next week.

Mills said getting schoolchildren vaccinated goes a long way toward protecting the spread of the disease to the general population.

"It's going to be several weeks before the vaccine will be like water flowing" into the state, Mills said. "Now it's just coming in in little dribbles."

As Mills gave her weekly swine flu briefing, Gov. John Baldacci renewed an emergency proclamation to encourage schools and clinics to administer vaccines. The proclamation also protects from lawsuits those health care workers and clinics that administer the vaccines.

The expected arrival this week of 44,000 doses of vaccine will bring the state's total to 99,000 doses, Mills said, enough to treat about one in every seven Mainers considered high risks and given priority to receive the vaccine.

Priority groups include pregnant women, children and young adults up to 24, people 25 to 64 who have underlying medical conditions, and people who live with or care for children under 6 months old.

Mills said cases of swine flu are concentrated in southern and central Maine. The outbreak is evidenced by increases in visits to health care providers and higher rates of school absenteeism. Two people who were hospitalized this week have been discharged and are recovering at home.

The disease has now worked its way north to Piscataquis County, she said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash...onal-77/1256845409240870.xml&storylist=health