Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
People most at risk receive vaccine
 |
Vancouver Coastal Health schedules H1N1 and seasonal flu clinics
by Paul Galinski | reporter@prpeak.com
Early flu clinics are underway this week for people most at risk from influenza.
The combined H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine clinics will operate at the Powell River Recreation Complex from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, until tomorrow, Thursday, October 29.
“We have about 800 doses in Powell River presently, which [were rolled] out on Monday,” said Dr. Paul Martiquet, Vancouver Coastal Health medical health officer. “More vaccine is expected...There will be no shortage of vaccine.”
So far, six cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed in the Powell River area.
Martiquet said those who fall into the risk groups, including those under 65 with chronic diseases, people from first nations communities and pregnant women in the latter half of pregnancy, can go to the clinics without having to see their family doctors. These groups are at high-risk for suffering complications from pandemic H1N1 infection.
“At the clinics, both the seasonal and pandemic vaccine will be offered to those at risk, one in each arm, although currently, the pandemic strain is the circulating virus,” Martiquet said.
Now that the H1N1 flu vaccine has been approved, Dr. Perry Kendall, provincial health officer, said he encourages British Columbians to become immunized and protect themselves against this novel flu virus. “Even if some of the population has already contracted H1N1 so far, we know that most British Columbians have not been infected yet and can still benefit from receiving the vaccine to protect themselves,” he said.
The first batch of vaccine is being distributed to regional health authorities in BC, based on population numbers in each region. “BC will receive the H1N1 vaccine shipments in phases,” said Ida Chong, provincial minister of healthy living and sport. “Our plan is to first immunize those individuals considered to be at most risk to ensure that more vulnerable groups are protected. During this time, we would ask that those people who are not at highest risk to wait until mid-November to get immunized when we receive our full orders.”
The national expert committees providing guidance on the use of the pandemic vaccines have recommended that giving seasonal and pandemic vaccines together is not expected to affect the immune response to either one, said Dr. Monika Naus, director of immunization at the BC Centre for Disease Control, an agency of the provincial health services authority. “This is in keeping with what we know about almost all other vaccines,” she said. “By getting the seasonal and pandemic vaccines together, the risk from both sorts of influenza can be reduced at the same time.”
Kendall said while he can understand there may be some confusion in the public about how and when to get vaccinated, and with which vaccine, this decision to offer the H1N1 and seasonal vaccines together addresses these concerns. “BC’s initial recommendation to delay the seasonal vaccine campaign for everyone under the age of 65 was made using the best available evidence and before the pandemic vaccine was available,” he said. “Now that pandemic vaccine is here, we can give protection against both seasonal and pandemic viruses at the same time.”
For more information on the H1N1 flu vaccine, readers can visit www.gov.bc.ca/h1n1.
The combined H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine clinics will operate at the Powell River Recreation Complex from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, until tomorrow, Thursday, October 29.
“We have about 800 doses in Powell River presently, which [were rolled] out on Monday,” said Dr. Paul Martiquet, Vancouver Coastal Health medical health officer. “More vaccine is expected...There will be no shortage of vaccine.”
So far, six cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed in the Powell River area.
Martiquet said those who fall into the risk groups, including those under 65 with chronic diseases, people from first nations communities and pregnant women in the latter half of pregnancy, can go to the clinics without having to see their family doctors. These groups are at high-risk for suffering complications from pandemic H1N1 infection.
“At the clinics, both the seasonal and pandemic vaccine will be offered to those at risk, one in each arm, although currently, the pandemic strain is the circulating virus,” Martiquet said.
Now that the H1N1 flu vaccine has been approved, Dr. Perry Kendall, provincial health officer, said he encourages British Columbians to become immunized and protect themselves against this novel flu virus. “Even if some of the population has already contracted H1N1 so far, we know that most British Columbians have not been infected yet and can still benefit from receiving the vaccine to protect themselves,” he said.
The first batch of vaccine is being distributed to regional health authorities in BC, based on population numbers in each region. “BC will receive the H1N1 vaccine shipments in phases,” said Ida Chong, provincial minister of healthy living and sport. “Our plan is to first immunize those individuals considered to be at most risk to ensure that more vulnerable groups are protected. During this time, we would ask that those people who are not at highest risk to wait until mid-November to get immunized when we receive our full orders.”
The national expert committees providing guidance on the use of the pandemic vaccines have recommended that giving seasonal and pandemic vaccines together is not expected to affect the immune response to either one, said Dr. Monika Naus, director of immunization at the BC Centre for Disease Control, an agency of the provincial health services authority. “This is in keeping with what we know about almost all other vaccines,” she said. “By getting the seasonal and pandemic vaccines together, the risk from both sorts of influenza can be reduced at the same time.”
Kendall said while he can understand there may be some confusion in the public about how and when to get vaccinated, and with which vaccine, this decision to offer the H1N1 and seasonal vaccines together addresses these concerns. “BC’s initial recommendation to delay the seasonal vaccine campaign for everyone under the age of 65 was made using the best available evidence and before the pandemic vaccine was available,” he said. “Now that pandemic vaccine is here, we can give protection against both seasonal and pandemic viruses at the same time.”
For more information on the H1N1 flu vaccine, readers can visit www.gov.bc.ca/h1n1.
 |
||
| Briefly: October 30, 2009 |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from online readers. In no way do they represent the views of Peak Publishing Ltd. To suggest removal of comments that violate the terms of use, please e-mail webmaster@prpeak.com.
