State Web site to list swine flu vaccine sites
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Floridians will be able to find out where to obtain free swine flu vaccine in their local communities on a state Web site once shipments are expected to begin arriving by the end of this week, the state’s top health official said Wednesday.
Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros also announced five more deaths from the H1N1 virus in the past week, bringing the total in Florida to 109.
Initially, only the nasal spray version of the vaccine will be available, but it cannot be administered to pregnant women, children under 2 and people who have underlying medical problems such as diabetes, kidney disease and lung ailments.
Vaccine administered by injection, which is safe for everyone, is expected to begin arriving next week, Viamonte Ros said. She added that 40 of the state’s 67 school districts currently plan to inoculate students with parental permission.
“We have over 3,000 providers that have signed up across our state in order to be sites where the vaccine is given and it ranges from private providers to hospitals, to clinics, to our county health departments, to our community health centers,” Viamonte Ros said. “It’s the whole gamut of our health care system.”
The Web site – www.myflusafety.com – will be updated as the sites receive the vaccine and includes general information about the virus and how to prevent its spread. The state also has a toll-free flu information telephone line: 1-877-352-3581.
Both are part of the Florida Department of Health’s efforts to inform the public and overcome reluctance by some citizens to getting the vaccine because of what Viamonte Ros said are unfounded worries about its safety.
“There’s no vaccine that is in existence that’s completely safe,” Viamonte Ros said. “We feel strongly that the way this is formulated is on sort of the chassis of the regular seasonal flu. There’s nothing different about its formulation. It’s been a relatively safe vaccine – the seasonal flu each year – with relatively few complications.”
People should get shots for seasonal flu in addition to the H1N1 vaccine because it’s caused by a separate virus. One vaccine does not protect against the other strain, Viamonte Ros said.
She told a Florida Senate committee that 30 to 40 percent of the state’s population is expected to come down with swine flu over a two-year period that began this spring. So far there have been about 300 outbreaks across Florida.
Those with underlying conditions are at higher risk along with younger people who have not built up immunity from being exposed to various flu strains.
Children under 4 accounted for 23 percent – the most of any age group – among 763 people hospitalized with swine flu in Florida through Sept. 29. Only 5.5 percent were above 65 and most of them had underlying conditions.
Florida’s death rate appears high when compared to other states. Viamonte Ros said that’s because Florida attributes the death of every H1N1 victim to the disease even if other factors may have contributed. She said some states do not.
Florida is due to receive 11 million doses of swine flu vaccine by January. The state has an eligible population of about 19 million with 8.8 million in priority groups that include pregnant women, health care workers, children, people who care for children under 2 and those with underlying conditions.
Children under 9 should receive two doses, but one is sufficent for everyone over that age, Viamonte Ros said.