Updated January 15, 2010
Vaccine Supply and Flu Clinic Visits:
We have received larger amounts of H1N1 and Seasonal flu vaccines and are in the process of calling patients off the waitlists for flu clinic appointments. If you have not heard from us yet and would like to receive a H1N1 or Seasonal flu vaccine, please send a message through RelayHealth (appointment request).
**RECALLED H1N1 VACCINE**
On December 9, 2009, Acton Medical Associates, P.C. received vaccine that has since been recalled. The vaccine was administered only to patients under age 3 years after December 9th. There is nothing harmful about the vaccine. The recall was implemented because the vaccine may not be as strong as it should be. This dose of vaccine does NOT need to be repeated. If H1N1 vaccine is available in January, our office will call those patients who received the recalled vaccine to schedule appointments for a second H1N1 immunization which must be given no sooner than the 21 days after the first shot.
Please note that the second immunization may contain a small amount of thimerosal which the pediatricians consider safe.
This year there are two different vaccines for influenza. As in all previous years, there is a vaccine directed against strains of the influenza virus (Influenza A or B) that are likely to cause the seasonal influenza outbreak that we typically experience between December and April. In addition, there is a newly developed vaccine against the novel H1N1 (swine) flu strain that became prevalent this past spring.
Seasonal influenza vaccine:
The seasonal influenza vaccine is available in our office. However, please note that some supply shortages may occur, because the U.S. government has ordered that production and shipment of seasonal flu vaccine be temporarily stopped to allow for distribution of the H1N1 vaccine.
Patients can be vaccinated if they are in for regularly scheduled visits in our office (e.g., well physicals). We also are scheduling "flu clinic" days in which patients can come specifically for the flu vaccine.
PLEASE NOTE: the seasonal flu usually does not begin circulating before December, and peak season is typically between January and March. So, any appointment between now and early December will likely be early enough to provide excellent protection for this coming winter.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend seasonal influenza vaccination for all children 6 months to 18 years of age. However, it is reasonable to ascribe the highest risk to patients who:
(1) Have a chronic medical illness which puts them at increased risk for developing complications of influenza infection. Some examples of such illnesses include cystic fibrosis, cancer, diabetes mellitus, asthma, chronic lung disease, and heart disease.
(2) Are between 6 months and 5 years of age or patients over the age of 65. These patients are more likely to be hospitalized with complications of influenza, (e.g., brief hospitalizations for dehydration or mild pneumonia). Note that the vaccine is not approved for children younger than 6 months of age.
(3) Are household contacts of infants younger than 6 months of age or of other high-risk individuals who cannot themselves be vaccinated (for instance, individuals with a history of allergy to the flu vaccine).
(4.) Pregnant women
(5.) Healthcare workers with direct patient contact
Please understand that we cannot vaccinate parents or other household members that are not Acton Medical patients. We reserve our vaccine supply for our patients only.
H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine:
The CDC recommends H1N1 vaccine for all young people 6 months to 24 years of age.
We received our first shipment of H1N1 vaccine on October 5. We received only a small number of doses, enough to vaccinate only a small amount of all of our patients. We have been assured by the state Department of Public Health that further shipments will arrive on a regular basis, and that the size of the shipments is likely to increase. However, we have no specific information about when these shipments will arrive or how much vaccine will be provided. We will do our best to provide open and accurate information as the situation evolves.
The State has set guidelines about how the vaccine should be administered. We have - received the nasal (live virus) form of the H1N1 vaccine. This vaccine can be given to patients age 2- 49 who do not have asthma or with an immunodeficiency who might develop some respiratory problems or flu symptoms from the vaccine. We have receive some injectable (inactivated) vaccine, which will be appropriate for children who are younger than 2 years of age or patients who are otherwise ineligible to receive the nasal form of the vaccine. Please note that children in school will likely have an opportunity to receive the H1N1 vaccine at school. You should receive notification directly from your school. The schools may have more vaccine than we do.
For questions or more information about the Seasonal or H1N1 flu please call the Massachusetts Program of the United Way. Dial 211 from any phone.
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