Posted 1:44 am Sunday, October 25, 2009
Health District Attempts To Dispel Concerns About H1N1 Vaccine
By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer
As Northeast Texas Public Health District officials await the arrival of H1N1 vaccine doses along with the rest of the country, they are stepping up a community outreach program to address concerns about the vaccine.
Staff Writer
As Northeast Texas Public Health District officials await the arrival of H1N1 vaccine doses along with the rest of the country, they are stepping up a community outreach program to address concerns about the vaccine.
Officials said apprehension about the H1N1 vaccine is due mostly to misinformation or political implications.
Beginning Monday, Tylerites will see billboards urging citizens to call a toll-free phone number or visit a Web site for more information about H1N1 and the vaccine. Billboards will be placed in five locations across the city, including a Spanish version. NTPHD has already produced public service announcements at area radio stations.
Stephanie Taylor, NTPHD community outreach and assistance director, said following community meetings at schools and churches, officials feel there are still myths lingering about H1N1 and its vaccine.
"What we heard from the public information sessions is that there are so many rumors. That's our biggest issue," Mrs. Taylor said. "Because of the media, we've gotten the message out about hand washing and general prevention. Now the battle is more about getting them educated on the real facts of H1N1."
The main concern is safety, she said. Public health officials assert that the vaccine is prepared the same way the seasonal flu is made, and it may actually be more reliable since it is being produced using hard data instead of predictions, like the seasonal flu vaccine.
"The way the vaccine's been made, it's 33 years of history on this," said Dr. Jonathan MacClements, Smith County Health Authority.
Mrs. Taylor said the district has fielded calls daily from people who want to know when the vaccine will be available. Officials don't have that answer and the delay in shipment of vaccines has local officials off track as vaccination clinic schedules will have to be reworked.
Vaccinations will be available to high-risk groups first -- young children, pregnant women, public health workers and first responders.
In addition, NTPHD will work with school districts in six East Texas counties, including Tyler ISD, which has about 18,000 students. Officials said they will also serve as a safety net for individuals who won't have access through a provider's office.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state has received less than one million doses of the H1N1 vaccine. Texas health officials expected to receive 3.4 million doses by mid-October.
NTPHD has received about 150, not nearly enough to hold vaccination clinics.
Harold Higgins, public health preparedness director, said the district will enlist a team for vaccinations by recruiting agencies that provide nurses and administrative staff. He said it may take at least a month to administer vaccines to all school children whose parents opt for the vaccine before they open community based vaccination clinics.
Health officials said since this is the first time the world has seen this strain of flu, there is no way to predict if it will mutate or when it will subside. One concern is that the vaccines will be delivered to providers after the virus has sickened more people.
"The fear now is that this is all going to be over by the time the vaccine arrives," Dr. MacClements said. "The peak of the season may happen before that. CDC's aware of that and they are working on it."
But Dr. MacClements noted that there is a stockpile of antiviral medication to treat people who contract the virus.
The seasonal flu vaccine was already produced when H1N1 appeared, so there was no way to add an antigen for the strain to this year's batch of flu vaccine, health officials said.
Therefore, doctors are recommending people get both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccines. For more information, visit www.texasflu.org.
