Politics & Government
Clinic Offers Combined H1N1 and Influenza Vaccine
A flu clinic will be held at the Johnson and Wales Inn Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for those with a high risk to catch the virus. It will be open to the public starting at 3:30 p.m.
For those in the high-risk bracket to catch the flu, the Seekonk Board of Health (BOH) is hosting a free clinic Thursday afternoon at the . It is by appointment only; the public can get inoculated starting at 3:30 p.m.
According to BOH inspector Beth Hallal, this is the Cadillac of flu vaccines. This year, protection against H1N1 and common influenza is included in the vaccine. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) mixes a new vaccine each flu season; medical professionals predict which strains will be the most wide-spread.
According to Hallal, flu clinics across the state have been lightly attended this year.
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"The supply is great and what we're finding is the demand isn't where it was," she said.
She attributes this shift in attitude to a reduction in H1N1 paranoia.
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"People getting sick and people dying terrorized a lot of people," she said. "We weren't getting the supplies we needed."
According to Hallal, there hasn't been any serious outbreaks of H1N1 or the common flu partially due to health precautions people have been taking such as hand washing and coughing into sleeves instead of the open air.
"In health professions, no news is good news," she said.
According to the BOH Web site, in order to qualify as a high-risk individual, the following criteria must be met:
- Any resident 65 years of age and older.
- Any resident four years of age and older with a chronic medical condition such as heart or lung disease (including asthma), require regular medical follow up or hospitalization in the past year because of a chronic metabolic disease (such as diabetes), blood disorders like anemia: a weakened immune system caused for example, by cancer, or cancer treatment, HIV/AIDS, or steroid therapy, or certain conditions such as neuromuscular disorders that can cause breathing problems.
- Women who will be pregnant anytime during influenza season. Influenza vaccine may be administered in any trimester.
- Healthcare personnel who provide direct patient care.
- Household contact and out-of-home caregivers of children six months.
To make an appointment call the BOH at 508-336-2950.
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