Health District provides H1N1 nasal mist vaccine at 5 Valley locations
Winchester, VA – This just in from Stephen A. Haering, MD, MPH, and Director of the Lord Fairfax Health District, which is responsible for the Shenandoah Valley:
“The Lord Fairfax Health District is providing the H1N1 (formerly called the “Swine flu”) vaccination in the Nasal Mist formulation, free of charge to persons who come to any one of its five health department offices. The Nasal Mist formulation is suitable for persons with certain risk factors as detailed below.
“There has been some misperception about the H1N1 Nasal Mist vaccine,” said Stephen A. Haering, MD, MPH, director of the Lord Fairfax Health District. “The Nasal Mist is a great vaccine formulation – it is painless and it has been shown to be just as effective as the injection, or shot, formulation of the vaccine,” said Dr. Haering.
Dr. Haering said that there are myths about the H1N1 Nasal Mist vaccine because it contains live virus. “The vaccine has virus that has been attenuated, or weakened, so it will not cause influenza infection in the person who receives the Nasal Mist,” said Dr. Haering. He added that those who receive the Nasal Mist cannot pass the influenza virus to others. “There is only one exception to this – and that would be for those persons who have close contact with someone who has had a stem cell transplant,” said Dr. Haering.
H1N1 Nasal Mist vaccine can only be used by certain persons – eligible recipients must be aged 2-49, not pregnant, and free from any underlying health conditions (such as heart diseases, lung disease like asthma, and metabolic disease like diabetes). Health care providers, including the Lord Fairfax Health District, screen persons for contraindications, including possible allergic reactions, to ensure that they are eligible to receive the vaccine.
The H1N1 vaccination is also available at more than 100 private medical providers throughout the district. “We encourage people to get the vaccine through whatever avenues are available,” said Dr. Haering. Private providers might have the injectable, or shot, formulation or the Nasal Mist variety.
Public health officials are targeting certain groups who are at high risk for contracting the H1N1 influenza virus.
The Lord Fairfax Health District is encouraging the H1N1 Nasal Mist vaccine for persons who are not pregnant, and do not have underlying medical conditions and who fall in the following groups:
- Anyone aged 2-24;
- Health care workers aged 49 and less; and
- Anyone aged 49 or less who lives with or cares for infants less than 6 months of age.
The health district is also conducting school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics at all public schools and at private schools that have responded to the health district’s offer to provide vaccine. The clinics started at the beginning of November and will continue through December. “The bottleneck is the supply – as soon as we get the vaccine in, we get it out to the schools,” said Dr. Haering. “But we have a lot of Nasal Mist available – for persons who are healthy, not pregnant and aged 2-49; they should go on to the health department and get vaccinated,” he added.
No appointment is needed for immunizations at the health department. The H1N1 Nasal Mist is available by walk-in Monday through Friday 8:00-4:15. There is no charge for the H1N1 vaccination.
Lord Fairfax Health District local offices are located at:
- Clarke County Health Dept. 100 N. Buckmarsh St. Berryville VA 540-955-1033
- Frederick-Winchester Health Dept. 150 Commercial St. Winchester VA 540-722-3470
- Shenandoah County Health Dept. 600 N. Main St. #106 Woodstock VA 540-459-3733
- Page County Health Dept. 75 Court Lane Luray VA 540-743-6528
- Warren County Health Dept. 134 Peyton St. Front Royal VA 540-635-3159.”
For more information on H1N1 influenza, call the Virginia Department of Health hotline at 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343), or check its website - or visit the CDC website.
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