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PANDEMIC H1N1 (Swine) INFLUENZA VACCINE INFORMATION
The Milford Health Department is the lead agency for mass dispensing of H1N1 vaccine within the city of Milford.
On August 21, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that the following individuals be vaccinated against novel H1N1influenza:
- Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated;
- Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants younger than 6 months old might help protect infants by “cocooning” them from the virus;
- Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare system capacity;
- All people from 6 months through 24 years of age
- Children from 6 months through 18 years of age because cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza have been seen in children who are in close contact with each other in school and day care settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread, and
- Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because many cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza have been seen in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population; and,
- Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have chronic health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
No shortage of 2009 H1N1 vaccine is expected, but the vaccine will be available in limited quantities initially. So, the ACIP also made recommendations regarding which people within the groups listed above should be prioritized when the vaccine is initially available in extremely limited quantities. Individuals in these priority groups are at higher risk for complications and death from the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, so it is of the upmost importance that they be protected by receiving the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.
Beginning in October, the federal government will be supplying the H1N1 vaccine for free; an administration fee may be charged but should be covered by most private health insurance plans. Those who do not have private health insurance who are vaccinated at a public health clinic will not have to pay the administration fee. If the H1N1 vaccine is unavailable through your primary health care provider, vaccine may be obtained through other venues, such as locally-organized public immunization clinics. For more information on H1N1 vaccination clinics in Milford, please click here.
Because primary health care offices may be overwhelmed with the number of individuals requiring vaccination, the Milford Health Department continues to plan and prepare to conduct H1N1 vaccination clinics for the public based on vaccine availability.
For key facts about the H1N1 vaccine from the CDC, click here.
To keep up to date on when the H1N1 vaccine is recommended for various groups, and for more information on the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, visit:
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