Happenings
H1N1 Influenza Information
Paperwork to complete to receive your vaccine:
or
H1N1 vaccine is available to anyone 6 months of age and older:
- We will be giving H1N1 and Seasonal Flu Shots every Thursday during the month of January AND February from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in our department. (or until vaccine is gone)
- No appointment is necessary.
- Come to the NW corner of the hospital, enter through the Dialysis Center doors and our department is on the left.
- The shot is not a live virus.
- See additional details below and consent forms above that can be filled out before you arrive to save you time! (If it is your child's second vaccine and they received their first dose from us, you will not need to fill out another form for them.)
- A second dose is needed if your child is 6 months to 9 years of age! The second dose must be at least 28 days apart from the first dose. We will begin scheduling these appointments starting December 11th. With vaccine opening to the public as of December 14th, we will be saving the second dose for those children who need it that we have vaccinated through today (December 11, 2009) either in our office or at school. Please let us know if your child has received their second dose elsewhere.
- Did my vaccine work? It takes about 2 weeks to build immunity after the vaccine is received. For children 6 months to 9 years of age, the child is not completely protected until after the second dose. Additionally, the vaccine is 80% effective, meaning 2 out of 10 people may still get sick even though they are vaccinated. If you or your child is vaccinated and still become sick with influenza, here are some considerations: (1) You were exposed to the H1N1 flu before building immunity, (2) You are one of the people the vaccine did not work for, (3) Your child needs their second vaccination to be completely protected, (4) You are ill with a different strain of influenza, such as one of the strains found in the seasonal flu shot but you did not receive the seasonal flu shot this year. It is important to receive the H1N1 vaccine to increase our "herd immunity". This means the more people that are vaccinated the harder it is for the virus to find those who are not vaccinated to make them sick. Unfortunately there is not enough vaccine for everyone right now, that is why we are vaccinating those who are at highest risk for getting the H1N1 flu.
- January 25th: We have completed second doses of vaccination for those 9 and under at all schools in Buchanan County. If your child was absent for the second dose, please come to our department for one of the walk-in clinics or call us to discuss how we can assist your child to receive their much needed second dose of H1N1 vaccine.
- November 12, 2009: Unfortunately, some are misinformed, saying the H1N1 flu season is behind us. The Centers for Disease Control has named what has and is going through our communities now as Wave 2 with Wave 3 expected after the first of the year and a Wave 4 in the future.
- Questions? Click on the Questions and Answers press release below!
- H1N1 vaccine is free from your local public health department. If you recieve it in a doctor's office, you may be charged an administrative fee. No one should be charging for the vaccine itself, as it is supplied by the federal government.
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- Find our office: Come to the NW corner of the Buchanan County Health Center. Enter through the Dialysis Center door. Our office is inside the door on your left. See link above for directions.
- Second vaccination needed! If your child is 6 months through 9 years of age and received their first H1N1 vaccine, a second dose in 1 month will be needed (more than 28 days apart). Call or e-mail us for an appointment as the time draws near or stop any Thursday morning in January or February from 7 - 10 a.m. We are administering second doses now!!!
PRESS RELEASES:
Other information that would be helpful?
Let us know if there is information not posted here about H1N1 that would be helpful or misinformation you are hearing in the community. We would love to hear from you: publichealth@bchealth.info
Mission
- To preserve, protect, and promote the health of the residents of Buchanan County
From The Director
The Buchanan County Public Health Department is here to preserve the health of the public through the detection of issues which concern health such as natural disaster or unsafe practice consequences, protect the public from communicable diseases through surveillance and investigation, and promote the health of all through education, referral to services and health promotion programming. Our goal is to reach the highest level of health the county can reach. We hope this is your goal, too! Strive to be the healthiest you can be each and every day!
We will be moving to our new location the end of June 2010. Visit our new website at www.co.buchanan.ia.us . We will provide you with more information as the time nears.
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