Tarrant County Public Health received 500 doses of injectable H1N1 vaccine

by PegNews wire

FORT WORTH — Plans are underway to provide the limited 500 doses to target groups recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those targets groups are:

* 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 less than 6 months old might help protect infants from the virus.

* Health care and emergency medical services personnel because infections among health-care workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce health-care system capacity.

And all people from 6 months through 24 years of age:

* Children from 6 months through 18 years of age because there have been many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in children and they are in close contact with each other in school and day-care settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread.

* Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because there have been many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity and they are a frequently mobile population.

People 25 through 64 years of age who have health conditions associated with a higher risk of medical complications from influenza should also be vaccinated.

Source: Tarrant County Public Health

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