November 14,  2009



The Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH) has announced that the H1N1 vaccine is now available to anyone who wants to receive it.

Until now vaccination efforts focused on specific target groups, including children, young adults, and pregnant women, who were more vulnerable to bad health outcomes if they contracted the flu, or those who cared for people who were more at risk.

“Our focus over the past couple of months has been in providing vaccine to those in the target groups and ensuring the public was educated on ways to prevent contracting influenza. Now that the quantity of vaccine available is greater and the demand for the vaccine from the target groups has been met, we are pleased to provide the H1N1 vaccine to everyone in effort to protect the community from flu outbreak,” states Anne Thomas, the county’s health director.

While the number of H1N1 cases may be going down, the rate of influenza illness is still high, and health care providers warn that there may be another wave of influenza during the peak of the regular flu season this winter.

If you have not yet been vaccinated, public health officials are strongly encouraging you to do so.

Some areas of the country are still experiencing widespread H1N1 illness. With travel peaking during the upcoming holiday season, the risk of exposure to the flu increases. Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent contracting the flu.

H1N1 vaccinations will be offered on a first come, first served basis on:

•    Thursday, Dec. 17 at the Dare County Administrative Building in Manteo from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
•    Thursday, Dec. 17 at Dare County Department of Public Health in Frisco from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
•    Monday, Dec. 21 at the Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
•    Wednesday, December 30 at the Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills from 9 a.m. to 11:30 am and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

There is no cost for the H1N1 flu vaccine at this time.

The H1N1 vaccine is made just like seasonal flu vaccines. The H1N1 vaccines undergo the same rigorous FDA manufacturing oversight, product quality testing and lot release procedures that apply to all seasonal influenza vaccines. 

Some area healthcare providers are also providing H1N1 vaccinations to anyone who wants one. On Hatteras Island, HealthEast Family Care centers in Avon (995-3073) and in Hatteras (986-2756) have the vaccine.  In addition, Hatteras Island Family Medicine in Frisco (995-3900) has vaccine. On Ocracoke, call the Health Center at 928-1511.  There is a charge for the vaccine from private providers.

People wishing more information should contact their healthcare providers, call DCDPH at 475-5003, or visit http://www.darenc.com/Announce/H1N1/index.htm  or www.flu.nc.gov.

---

November 12,  2009



Though H1N1 vaccines are still in short supply all over the country, the situation on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands is looking better.

According to Sheila Davies, the health department in Frisco does currently have vaccines available and is taking appointments for those individuals who fall into one of the target groups—which include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children under six months of age, healthcare or emergency medical care personnel, individuals between six month and 24 years of age, or those people ages 25 to 64 who have chronic health conditions.

The health department is also planning to host a clinic next Saturday, Nov.  21, at the Children’s Health Fair at the Fesenden Center in Buxton from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

In addition, both HealthEast Family Care offices received shipments of 200 injectable vaccines on Tuesday.

While anyone in one of the target groups is eligible to receive a vaccine, the batches that the HealthEast offices received this week can only be administered to patients 18 and older, which means the only people who can get the vaccine are those ages 18 to 24 and those ages 25 to 64 with chronic health conditions.

Bobbie Adams, the practice manager for both locations, says that they never know what they’re going to receive and how much of it they’re going to get until the packages arrive at the office.

The same seems to be true at Hatteras Island Family Care, where Kim Gillikin, an employee of the practice, says that they currently have a “fair amount” of the nasal mist remaining, but when they will receive additional doses, what kind they will get and how much of it will arrive, they can’t say.

The nasal mist is indicated for healthy individuals ages 2 through 49 who are not pregnant and do not have an allergy to eggs.  

On Ocracoke, the situation seems to have improved quite a bit.

According to Jamie Tunnell, the Ocracoke Health Center received about 80 doses of vaccine recently and still has some available.

Currently, those interested in a vaccine are being put on a list, and once it has been determined that they fit into one of the target groups, the Health Center calls them back to schedule an appointment.

If you fall into one of the target groups and would like to schedule an appointment for an H1N1 vaccine, contact:

•    HealthEast—Avon: 995-3073
•    HealthEast—Hatteras: 986-2756
•    Hatteras Island Family Care: 995-3900
•    Dare County Department of Public Health—Frisco: 995-4404
•    Ocracoke Health Center: 928-1511

---

October 30,  2009

With H1N1 currently sweeping the nation, many islanders are wondering when and where they can get their vaccine.

The answer to that question, though, is somewhat tricky.

First, unless you fall into one of the “target groups” for the vaccine—pregnant women, people who live with or care for children under 6 months of age, healthcare or emergency medical care personnel, individuals between 6 month and 24 years of age, or those people ages 25 to 64 who have chronic health conditions—you can’t get one right now. Period.

And then, even if you are in one of those groups, you may still have some trouble getting the vaccine because of a nationwide shortage.

According to Dr. Al Hodges of HealthEast Family Care on Hatteras Island, vaccination of everyone in the target groups nationwide would require about 150 million doses.

National public health officials had estimated that around 40 million of those doses would be sent out to health departments and private practices across the nation by the first of November, but the most recent numbers show that only about half of the projected doses have been delivered.

Those are sobering numbers, considering every state in the nation is reporting widespread outbreaks of the virus.

The problem is that demand is very high, and vaccine production is very slow. The result is that millions of people across the country don’t have access to the vaccine.

“What we’re experiencing on the Outer Banks is what we’re experiencing all over the country,” says Sheila Davies, Community Development Specialist with the Dare County Department of Public Health.

Earlier this year, while the vaccine was still in production, the Dare County health department, as well as any private health care provider who had agreed to dispense the H1N1 vaccine, filled out a form enumerating the number of people they served that fell into the target groups for H1N1 vaccine.

The county pooled those numbers and sent them off to the U.S. Center for Disease Control office in Raleigh, where the state’s public health system is using the information to determine the number of doses to allocate to each area.

Judy Flagge, Director of Public Health Nursing and Clinical Services with the Dare County Department of Public Health, estimates that the number of Dare County residents that fell into the target groups was somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000.

But, like everywhere else in the country, the county is quite a few doses short.

Of the four places on Hatteras Island where you can get the vaccine—HealthEast Family Care centers in Avon and Hatteras, the county health department in Frisco, and Hatteras Island Family Medicine in Frisco—three places are out.

Both the Avon and Hatteras offices of Health East have exhausted their supply of the vaccine.

According to Dr. Hodges, both offices received 100 doses of the injectable vaccine, which they have administered, and as of right now, he says, the medical centers are not expecting any more any time soon.

The health department, on the other hand has been receiving small, weekly shipments of the vaccine, but still cannot keep up with the demand.

The first week, the health department received 100 doses of the flu mist, and this past week, it received 100 doses of the injectable vaccine.

The shipments are delivered to the Manteo office and, according to Flagge, “at least 20 percent” of what the department receives is sent to the health department in Frisco.

Right now, the Frisco office is out, and staff members are taking the names and phone numbers of those who are eligible for and would like to receive the vaccine and calling them when more come available.

Flagge said that the county health department received a shipment this week, and that she hasn’t received any information that suggests they won’t be receiving more.

The only place that, as of right now, has vaccines available is Hatteras Island Family Medicine in Frisco.

Alex Hodges, RN, FNP-C, who runs the practice, says she received 100 doses of the flu mist, of which she currently has some available, and expects to receive a shipment of the injectable vaccine soon.

On Ocracoke, the vaccine is in short supply, according to Jamie Tunnell at the Ocracoke Health Center.

The first 10 doses the center received were quickly gone, and right now the center’s nurse is compiling a list of islanders in the target groups that want the vaccine.  To get on the list, call the health center at 928-1511.

According to Dr. Al Hodges, there is a silver lining.

“Here’s the good news about H1N1…it does not appear to be as virulent as seasonal flu.”

Each year, he says, 30,000 to 50,000 people die from the seasonal flu. So far, only a fraction of that number has died from H1N1—“which is an unbelievable blessing.”

---

September 18,  2009

It’s that time of year again—the kids are back in school, the speed limits have gone up, the weather has cooled down, and we’re in the throes of a flu pandemic.

Wait, what was that last one?

That’s right. Swine flu—or H1N1 as it is now, more accurately, being called—is sweeping the globe.

H1N1 came on the scene in April of this year, and it was originally called swine flu because the virus resembled the type of flu that normally occurs in pigs. However, laboratory tests have revealed that H1N1 is actually much different than the virus that usually affects swine.

And, according to Dr. Al Hodges, a family physician with HealthEast Family Care on Hatteras, It’s also much different than both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 strain responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 million people in the 1918 pandemic.

Seasonal flu is so dubbed because of its predictable, seasonal patterns.

Cases begin building toward the end of the year and peak near the end of February.  The demographic most at risk when it comes to the seasonal flu are the youngest (0-24 years of age) and oldest (65 and over) people.

Symptoms include fever, cough, and severe body aches. Vaccinations for the seasonal flu are widely available, and public health officials are encouraging everyone to get one.

Swine flu does not follow the same patterns as the seasonal flu. In fact, it appears to be peaking right now, with the Deep South (south of Virginia, east of Texas) reporting widespread cases. If you go to your doctor right now and he or she tells you that you have the flu, chances are it’s swine flu.

The symptoms of H1N1 are slightly different than those associated with seasonal flu.

Fever and cough are the predominant symptoms, but vomiting and diarrhea—things that reportedly occur in less than 30 percent of seasonal flu patients—appear to be more common in H1N1 cases, and the severe body aches that accompany nearly 100 percent of seasonal flu cases seem to be affecting just around one-third of those with H1N1.

Another unusual aspect of H1N1 is that it seems to be affecting different age groups.

The very young (under than 24 years of age) comprise the group most likely to contract H1N1, and the virus seems to have the most lethal impact on the middle group (ages 25-49). 

The oldest demographic (65 and up), so susceptible to the seasonal flu, appears to have some antibodies built up to H1N1 and are not considered a high-risk category.

A vaccine for H1N1 is currently under production, but has not yet been released.

“It takes time to develop a vaccine and get it purified, packaged, and distributed,” Dr. Hodges said in a recent interview.

So what do Hatteras and Ocracoke residents need to do?

First things first, get your seasonal flu vaccine right away. Do not wait until the H1N1 vaccine comes available, and do not assume that an H1N1 vaccine will protect you from seasonal flu or vice versa.

The Dare County Health Department had a clinic earlier this week at its office in Frisco, but currently has no plans to hold another flu-shot clinic on Hatteras Island.  There will be clinics on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Manteo, and Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Baum Senior Center in Kill Devil Hills. Call the Health Department for more information.

Seasonal flu vaccines are free, through the county, for children under the age of 18, and there will be clinics for that age group at the Health Department office in Frisco on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 3:30 until 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The flu mist will be administered to elementary-age children, for free, at their schools, and for more information, parents should contact the school their child attends.

If you miss the clinics, don’t worry. Simply call the Frisco health department office and schedule an appointment. The health department office will continue to offer vaccines to anyone and everyone who wants one.

For adults, the cost is $35, and Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield will be accepted.

You can also get a flu shot at either HealthEast office. Just make an appointment with your regular doctor. The cost is $45, and insurance is accepted.

You can also get a seasonal flu shot at Hatteras Island Family Medicine, located in Frisco, beginning Oct. 1.  The cost is $15, but the office will not file insurance for you, though you will get the paperwork required to file with your private insurer.  Medicare and Medicaid will not pay for flu shots at this office.  Nurse practiioner Alex Hodges, who owns the practice, says the swine flu shot will be available there eventually.

The Ocracoke Health Center has scheduled a clinic on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The cost will be $20, and the clinic will accept Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

After the Sept. 19 clinic, shots will be administered by appointment only. Insurance will still be accepted.

While getting a seasonal flu shot is easy, getting an H1N1 vaccine is going to be a little different.

There seems to be a lot of confusion swirling around the H1N1 shot.

The shot has not yet been released, and in Dare County, there are currently no clinics set up. This is largely because nobody knows yet exactly when the vaccine will be released, how many doses Dare County is going to get, or whether one shot or two shots will be required for immunity.

According to Judy Flagge, the director or Public Health Nursing and Clinical Services at the Dare County Department of Health, the first shipment of H1N1 vaccines is expected around the middle of October, and “we anticipate getting the vaccine is small, possibly weekly batches.”

Because the first rounds of vaccines will be in limited supply, the plan is to target the high-risk groups.  According to Dr. Hodges, those include:

•    Pregnant Women
•    People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
•    Health care and emergency medical services personnel
•    Persons between 6 months and 24 years of age

•    People ages 25 through 64 who are at a higher risk for H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems

And while Flagge says that the department is not anticipating a shortage, in the event of one, those target groups will change slightly, and will include:

•    Pregnant women
•    People who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months
•    Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact
•    Children 6 months through 4 years of age
•    Children 5 through 18 years  who have chronic medical conditions

According to Hodges, because H1N1 is a pandemic, it is a huge public health concern, and, as such, the vaccines will be distributed through the public health system.

That means that medical offices such as HealthEast in Avon and Hatteras will not be able to order a swine flu vaccine from a distributor the way that they would be able to with a seasonal flu vaccine.

They, too, will only be given a certain amount, determined by the public health system and based on a survey the HealthEast personnel completed on how many flu shots they provide annually.

And though nobody knows for sure just yet, research is trending toward this being a one-shot vaccination, which would, obviously, lessen the chances of a shortage.

“Eventually,” Flagge says, “everyone that wants an [H1N1] shot will be able to get one.”

When the vaccine comes available, Flagge says, information on where, when, when and who can get the shot will be sent to, and made available through, the local news media and their various publications.

You can also contact your local health department office if you have any questions or would like to stay abreast of the issue, and Hodges recommends the Center for Disease Control’s Web site for good, reliable, and up-to-date information on H1N1.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on seasonal or H1N1 flu and vaccines, contact:

•    Dare County Health Department, Hatteras Island office, at (252) 475-9320
•    Dare County Health Department, Roanoke Island office, at (252) 475-5003
•    HealthEast, at (252) 995-3073 or 986-2756
•    Hatteras Island Family Medicine in Frisco.  995-3900.  On the Web at hifamilymedicine.com

Or visit the CDC’s Web site at www.cdc.gov.

Also, The Island Free Press will continue to publish information as it becomes available on the H1N1 vaccine -- who will get it and where and when they can get shots.

Comments are always welcomed!      Subject :      Name :  (required)      Email :  (required, will not be published)      City :   (required)    State :   (required)      Your Comments: May be posted on the Letters to the Editor page at the discretion of the editor.