County Holds H1N1 Clinic at Teitelman School

COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County Department of Health will hold an H1N1 flu vaccination clinic for priority groups on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 4-7 p.m. at the Richard M. Teitelman School, located at 687 Route 9 in Erma.
“Along with holiday shopping, wrapping, and celebrations with family and friends,” said Freeholder Gerald Thornton, “if you or your family members are at high risk of H1N1 infection, then this is a good time to get vaccinated and stay healthy.”
While the supply of the vaccine remains limited, it is being targeted to those at the highest risk of infection and severe disease. These groups are persons 24 years and younger, healthcare workers, pregnant women, persons 25-64 years with chronic medical conditions that predispose them to influenza complications, and parents and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age. The State Department of Health and Senior Services will make the determination when the vaccination groups can be expanded and if the recommendation changes, the Department will follow any new guidelines.
“The Department will be able to provide 2,500 H1N1 flu vaccines at this clinic,” said Health Officer Kevin Thomas. Additional H1N1 flu clinics will be scheduled at areas around the County in 2010. “We want to hold clinics near where people live, to make it as convenient as possible for people to get vaccinated,” added Thomas.
The County will have completed H1N1 flu vaccination clinics at all Cape May County schools by December 17th. Children less than 10 years of age need to receive a booster dose to be fully protected. The booster dose should be given ideally 28 days after the first dose, but it can be given after a minimum of 21 days. Children less than 10 who received their first dose before Thanksgiving (November 26) can receive a booster dose at the December 17th clinic.
In light of the upcoming holidays, Thomas advises residents to continue the healthy behaviors that will help prevent infection with the flu. These include washing hands frequently with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or coughing into a sleeve (not the hands), staying home when you’re sick, cleaning and disinfecting household surfaces, and avoiding close contact with persons who are sick.
Persons who experience flu symptoms – fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, tiredness – should stay home from work or school until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours. Those with underlying medical conditions – asthma, diabetes, etc., or those with a worsening or severe illness should quickly contact their physician who can decide if treatment is necessary.
Free flu safety kits will be available to the first 250 people at the H1N1 flu clinic. Patient consent forms and information can be found at www.cmchealth.net or at 463-6581.
Certain persons should not receive the H1N1 flu vaccine. Similar to seasonal flu, persons with a severe allergy to eggs or any of the vaccine components, who have had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccine, or who have been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome will need a prescription from their physician to get a flu vaccine.