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Injectable H1N1 vaccine is here now
By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.15.2009
Injectable vaccine against the novel 2009 H1N1 virus has begun arriving in Pima County, and providers are administering it to those at highest risk.
Tucson Medical Center, which has nearly 3,200 employees, received 200 doses of the injectable form of the vaccine this week and is prioritizing the shots for the hospital's clinical staff, beginning with the emergency department, spokeswoman Julia Strange said Wednesday.
Similarly, University Medical Center received a small shipment of vaccines for its work force Wednesday morning, spokeswoman Katie Riley said.
Some pediatricians offices also have received injectable doses of the vaccine, said Kathy Rucker, a registered nurse who oversees health services for the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), which is Southern Arizona's largest school district.
Providers had to place orders with the state to receive doses, which are slowly arriving around the state. The county received 9,000 doses of the live nasal spray vaccine against H1N1 last week and is holding free clinics to administer it to targeted at-risk populations.
The biggest problem with the nasal spray vaccine is that, since it's a live virus, it's not recommended for two of the highest-risk groups ? pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions. Those populations are advised to get an injectable H1N1 killed-virus vaccine.
In the meantime, local emergency rooms are already reporting larger patient volumes due to people reporting H1N1 symptoms. And TUSD's absentee rate is 10 percent ? about double the rate it was at this time last year, Rucker said.
"It's 10 percent across the district. Some schools are as high as 20 to 27 percent," Rucker said. "But I don't think we're anywhere near to closing entire schools."
Rucker said district officials are carefully monitoring students with chronic health conditions, including taking their temperatures at least twice per week, and will consider closing selected special education classrooms when absentee rates get as high as 40 percent.
She's also urging parents to be on the alert for relapses in illness ? some children are coming down with H1N1 and then getting sick again with a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics, she said.
"The other emphasis is that we have to get it through the heads of our adult employees that if you are sick, you need to stay home," Rucker said. "We need to be responsible about that."
Rucker, who has been with TUSD for 23 years, said the current novel H1N1 outbreak is "unprecedented" in her experience.
"We've never had a pandemic of this dimension, not even two years ago with the measles," she said. "We're in the second wave of this pandemic. ? The good thing, the saving grace, is that the H1N1 virus has not significantly drifted and we still have a good vaccine match."
Eventually, Pima County is scheduled to receive 500,000 doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccines, including both the nasal spray and injectable forms. But those doses are expected to arrive slowly over the next few weeks and months. Vaccines for the regular population may not be available until December or January.
No public clinics for H1N1 vaccinations in Pima County have been planned thus far.
The 2009 H1N1 flu virus, also known as swine flu, is unique because it is a combination of genes from pig, bird and human flu viruses. People who are infected usually have flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting, though those symptoms are less common.
Most people will recover from novel H1N1 without any medical intervention. Still, the virus has been blamed for 30 deaths in Arizona so far this year, most among people who had underlying health conditions. Three of those deaths were in Pima County ? two children and one young adult, all of whom had other health problems.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/313293
By Stephanie Innes
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.15.2009
Injectable vaccine against the novel 2009 H1N1 virus has begun arriving in Pima County, and providers are administering it to those at highest risk.
Tucson Medical Center, which has nearly 3,200 employees, received 200 doses of the injectable form of the vaccine this week and is prioritizing the shots for the hospital's clinical staff, beginning with the emergency department, spokeswoman Julia Strange said Wednesday.
Similarly, University Medical Center received a small shipment of vaccines for its work force Wednesday morning, spokeswoman Katie Riley said.
Some pediatricians offices also have received injectable doses of the vaccine, said Kathy Rucker, a registered nurse who oversees health services for the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), which is Southern Arizona's largest school district.
Providers had to place orders with the state to receive doses, which are slowly arriving around the state. The county received 9,000 doses of the live nasal spray vaccine against H1N1 last week and is holding free clinics to administer it to targeted at-risk populations.
The biggest problem with the nasal spray vaccine is that, since it's a live virus, it's not recommended for two of the highest-risk groups ? pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions. Those populations are advised to get an injectable H1N1 killed-virus vaccine.
In the meantime, local emergency rooms are already reporting larger patient volumes due to people reporting H1N1 symptoms. And TUSD's absentee rate is 10 percent ? about double the rate it was at this time last year, Rucker said.
"It's 10 percent across the district. Some schools are as high as 20 to 27 percent," Rucker said. "But I don't think we're anywhere near to closing entire schools."
Rucker said district officials are carefully monitoring students with chronic health conditions, including taking their temperatures at least twice per week, and will consider closing selected special education classrooms when absentee rates get as high as 40 percent.
She's also urging parents to be on the alert for relapses in illness ? some children are coming down with H1N1 and then getting sick again with a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics, she said.
"The other emphasis is that we have to get it through the heads of our adult employees that if you are sick, you need to stay home," Rucker said. "We need to be responsible about that."
Rucker, who has been with TUSD for 23 years, said the current novel H1N1 outbreak is "unprecedented" in her experience.
"We've never had a pandemic of this dimension, not even two years ago with the measles," she said. "We're in the second wave of this pandemic. ? The good thing, the saving grace, is that the H1N1 virus has not significantly drifted and we still have a good vaccine match."
Eventually, Pima County is scheduled to receive 500,000 doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccines, including both the nasal spray and injectable forms. But those doses are expected to arrive slowly over the next few weeks and months. Vaccines for the regular population may not be available until December or January.
No public clinics for H1N1 vaccinations in Pima County have been planned thus far.
The 2009 H1N1 flu virus, also known as swine flu, is unique because it is a combination of genes from pig, bird and human flu viruses. People who are infected usually have flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting, though those symptoms are less common.
Most people will recover from novel H1N1 without any medical intervention. Still, the virus has been blamed for 30 deaths in Arizona so far this year, most among people who had underlying health conditions. Three of those deaths were in Pima County ? two children and one young adult, all of whom had other health problems.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/313293