Article Details

H1N1 Situation Update - October 28, 2009

Wed Oct 28 08:58:00 CDT 2009

On Thursday, October 29, the Craighead County Health Department will provide a mass influenza immunization clinic on our campus at the football stadium parking lot. The clinic is open to all ASU employees and students as well as to the community at large. It begins at 7 a.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m. or until the vaccine is gone. This will be a drive-through clinic. For those on campus without vehicles, a walk-up tent will be available. Entrances to the clinic include a Stadium Blvd. entrance near ASU’s Student Health Center (333B, Stadium Blvd.), and an entrance from Johnson onto University Loop. Once you are in line, additional directions will be provided by our university police, health department personnel, and volunteers. Signs will be posted at street entrances if the vaccine is gone before 4:30; in addition, listen for public service announcements on the radio and TV to discern if vaccine is still available. To assure the continuity of regular university business, please do not call university offices to ask about vaccine supply.  All questions about vaccine supply will be deferred to the health department. Locations of future mass clinics and/or school clinics can be found on the Arkansas Department of Health Internet site:

http://www.healthyarkansas.com/pdf/Mass%20Flu%20sites%2009.pdf

Both seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 flu vaccine should be available; however, H1N1 vaccine will only be administered to pregnant women, children 6 months of age to 4 years of age and those 5-18 years of age with chronic medical conditions.  Nasal mist and injectable vaccine are manufactured for both vaccines. It is unknown at this time which types of vaccine will be available on Thursday. Thimerosol-free vaccine may be available upon request. Thimerosol is a preservative added to some vaccines. It contains mercury.
Eggs are used to make the vaccine. Therefore, a severe allergy to eggs will prevent you from receiving the vaccines. If you have ever had a severe reaction to previous flu vaccine, you should not receive the vaccines. If you are sick the day of the immunization clinic, it is better to postpone getting the vaccine until you are well. In addition, if you ever developed Guillian-Barre’ Syndrome within three weeks of getting a flu vaccine, you should not get the vaccines. Children under 6 months are ineligible for either vaccine. Information about each vaccine can be located by clicking the following links:

H1N1 nasal mist:  http://www.healthyarkansas.com/pdf/LAIV-nasal%20spray%20VIS.pdf
H1N1 injectable:  http://www.healthyarkansas.com/pdf/VIS%20h1n1.pdf
Seasonal injectable:  http://www.healthyarkansas.com/pdf/VIS%20h1n1.pdf

As always, if you have H1N1, or someone you know on campus has H1N1, please use our on-line reporting system to tell us. Here is the link: ASU-H1N1 Flu Prevention and Reporting. This helps us know who needs assistance as well as helping us track the number of cases that exist within our campus community. There are many links on our H1N1 site that provide you with vital information. Most of the answers to questions you may have can be found at those links. Should you need more information, please contact the Student Health Center at (870) 972-2054, the Department of Student Affairs at (870) 972-3355, or me (dpersell@astate.edu, at 870-972-3074).

Dr. Deborah Persell, the author of this H1N1 update, is an associate professor of Nursing in ASU's College of Nursing and Health Professions, coordinator of the Regional Center for Disaster Preparedness Education, and an expert in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Contact Dr. Persell (dpersell@astate.edu) at (870) 972-3074.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm
for questions and answers about 2009's H1N1 flu.