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Influenza Information:

Johnson County is receiving H1N1 flu vaccine in shipments from the Government each week. We are distributing that vaccine to the highest risk groups first. We hope to have vaccine for the general public in the next 2 weeks. The flu hotline is : 684-5469

 

Johnson County Healthcare Center has supplies of influenza vaccine.
The vaccine that we have is for the Seasonal Influenza.         
Dr. Mark Schueler, the county health officer for Johnson County suggests that people get
vaccinated starting October 15.      
This is because the seasonal flu season peaks in February, and the vaccine is strongest for the first 3 months.
If you get your shot now, it might give you less protection from the seasonal flu if you get sick in Feb or March of 2010.       
Waiting until October will strengthen your chances of fighting the seasonal flu in the winter.

We will be having flu vaccine clinics starting in October .  
 From 9 am - noon on October 15 - 23, you can come to the Family Medical Center
and receive the seasonal flu vaccine. No appointment is necessary.
But, if you would like to be vaccinated earlier, the vaccine is here, and we have plenty for everyone.

The H1N1 flu, however, is upon us now. People are getting sick from this new strain of influenza.
The government is working feverishly to develop and distribute a vaccine for that type of influenza.   
We expect to receive that vaccine for the public in the fall, but the CDC has not given any dates for arrival as of now.    
We expect to receive some of the vaccine for our county by October 10.
 When we recieve that vaccine, we will alert the public.

In the meantime, know that this H1N1 flu has generally been milder than the seasonal flu,
and you can take many steps to avoid it. They are outlined below.

 

click here to see more in depth info. about the differences
between  H1N1 and Seasonal Flu  

Swine Flu --

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Every flu season has the potential to cause a lot of illness, doctor visits, hospitalizations and even deaths.  The Centers for Disease Control is concerned that the new H1N1 flu virus could result in a particularly severe flu season this year.  Vaccines are the best tool we have to prevent influenza. 

  The seasonal flu vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against novel H1N1 influenza.  However a novel H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and will be ready for the public in October. The FDA approved the safety of the H1N1 vaccine on Sept. 15.    The novel H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine – it is intended to be used along-side seasonal flu vaccine. 

The groups recommended to receive the first available novel H1N1 influenza vaccine include:
* Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated;
* Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants less than 6 months old might help protect infants by “cocooning” them from the virus;
* Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare system capacity
*All people from 6 months through 24 years of ageChildren from 6 months through 18 years of age because we have seen many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in children and they are in close contact with each other in school and day care settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread, and
*Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because we have seen many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population; and,
* Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

We do not expect that there will be a shortage of novel H1N1 vaccine, but flu vaccine availability and demand can be unpredictable and there is some possibility that initially, the vaccine will be available in limited quantities.  So, the ACIP also made recommendations regarding which people within the groups listed above should be prioritized if the vaccine is initially available in extremely limited quantities.

Once the demand for vaccine for the prioritized groups has been met at the local level, programs and providers should also begin vaccinating everyone from the ages of 25 through 64 years.
Current studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the risk for younger age groups.
However, once vaccine demand among younger age groups has been met, programs and providers should offer vaccination to people 65 or older. 

(information from the CDC Website)

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

 

Swine Flu --

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

 

 

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Here is information about both the H1N1 influenza and the seasonal influenza. 
We hope to reduce any fear, and to help you to make wise decisions. 
There are 2 different types of influenza to think about this year.  The seasonal influenza – the one we get vaccinated for every fall, and the H1N1 influenza.    
The seasonal influenza season usually peaks in mid – February.   The H1N1 influenza is new, and is making people sick right now. 

Know, however, that the H1N1 influenza has been generally mild, and actually the death rate from it is lower than the seasonal influenza.
So a good rule of thumb is to worry about the H1N1 influenza about as much as you worried about the seasonal influenza last winter.
The reason the governments around the world are so worried about H1N1 is that it is a “novel” or “new” strain of flu – and no one knew how it would affect people.          Health officials are still watching this flu carefully,  to note any changes that might cause concern.   

 

CDC has, however, implemented its emergency response, and the WHO is evaluating the Pandemic Alert Level. Currently it is at Level 6 - which is a Pandemic level. The levels are from 1 (low risk of human cases) to a level 6 (pandemic).
If there is someone with flu like illness, you can advise them to treat the flu. That means – stay home, rest, drink plenty of fluids, treat the symptoms. Don’t go out and get others sick. If people want to be tested, we can do that at JCHC, and if tests are positive, additional samples can be sent to the State Health

Age Distribution of lab confirmed Novel Influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) cases:
Age Groups      # of cases
<5             35
5-18            216
19-64          166
65+             2
Total
419

For more information from the Wyoming Dept. of Health about schools and influenza recommendations - click here