We are now administering the Seasonal Flu Vaccine to all our patients and parents. We also have a limited amount of the H1N1 Mist, and we are giving it to our patients by appointment and offering it when they come to the office for a physical exam or for a sick visit if indicated. The Health Department informs us that we can now start giving the second dose of the H1N1 vaccine for those patients who already had their first dose at least a month ago.
There is some confusion and questions about the administration of those two vaccines that I am going to clarify by giving you some case scenarios.
Q - My child received the first H1N1 injectable vaccine over a month ago. Can he now get the second H1N1 dose in the Mist form?
A - Yes. It is safe to get one dose of the injectable H1N1 and the second dose in the Mist form if your child is over 2 years of age and doesn’t have asthma. The mist is safe, very effective and easy to administer. The only limitation of use relates to those who have asthma and children less than 2 years of age.
Q - I am pregnant and I know I can’t get the H1N1 Mist; can my 3-year-old child get the mist?
A - Pregnant woman should get the injectable form of the H1N1 instead of the mist, but it is safe for you to be around your son after he gets the mist form of the vaccine, even if you are pregnant.
Q - My daughter had the Seasonal Flu Mist vaccine at school last week. We now have an appointment in the office to get the H1N1 Mist. Is it safe?
A - We should wait a month before giving her the H1N1 Mist. She can get the H1N1 injectable at any time, but when administering the Mist form of Seasonal and H1N1 vaccine, they should be at least one month apart.
Q - My child was diagnosed with Influenza A, H1N1 back in September. She had mild symptoms that resolved within a few days. Should she receive the H1N1 vaccine?
A - Yes. The rapid test we have in the office to check for H1N1 is not reliable enough to assume she did have the infection. Since we can’t be certain, we don’t know if she is going to have antibodies to protect her when/if we have a second wave of H1N1 cases in the coming winter months. The safest thing to do is to immunize her.
Please call our office if you would like to schedule an appointment for the second H1N1 vaccine dose.
This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Health Alerts, Influenza (Flu). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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