March 5, 2010

March Madness Wraps up H1N1 School Vaccinations

The Central District Health Department (CDHD) will wrap up its school-based H1N1 vaccination campaign next week with a little “March Madness.” Teams of nurses will be administering second doses of vaccine to children under the age of 10 in thirty Meridian Elementary schools, in just two days on March 9th & 11th. The schedule can be found on the health district website. Once that task is completed the health district will close the books on mass vaccination efforts that began five months ago in October 2009.

Over the course of the H1N1 flu response, the health district has provided over 27,000 doses of vaccine, including first & second doses, to school students. An additional 26,000 individuals were vaccinated through the Point of Dispensing (POD) operations and clinics at health district offices. Physicians and pharmacies administered about 33,000 doses of vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still recommending the vaccine, as a third wave of the H1N1 flu pandemic could still occur. CDHD has an adequate supply of vaccine and continues to offer it free to the public by appointment at all three of its offices in Boise, Mountain Home and McCall.

The number of cases of reported flu-like illness has dropped to almost zero in recent weeks. At the same time public interest in the vaccine has virtually disappeared.

For more information visit the CDHD website at www.cdhd.idaho.gov.