10-21-09

H1N1 vaccine clinics on hold

Community Health of Kossuth Regional Health Center has delivered their current supply of H1N1 vaccine and is postponing all scheduled H1N1 clinics until further notice.

“We have given out all of our allocated supply, which was about 700 doses, since we first started offering the H1N1 vaccine a week ago.  We fully expect that more will arrive, but when and how much is unknown at this point,” said Dixie Meyer of Community Health.  “We’re still planning to continue offering school clinics as vaccine becomes available again.  With every shipment of H1N1 vaccine we plan to do at least one school clinic.”

Cases of H1N1 have appeared in Kossuth County.  The symptoms of H1N1 are very similar to those of the seasonal flu and can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.  Some people also experience diarrhea and vomiting.

“We will have more H1N1 vaccine allocated to us from the Iowa Department of Public Health soon.  In the meantime, it’s a good idea to step up your healthy habits like covering your cough, cleaning your hands and containing germs by staying home when ill,” Meyer said.

Since supply levels can change quickly, people are encouraged to listen to local media sources, the KRHC website at www.krhc.com and the Flu Hotline at 515-295-4451 for further updates.