FEBRUARY 4, 2010 ISSUE
Whatever Happened to H1N1?
The H1N1 flu and the subsequent vaccination shortage dominated headlines nationwide in late summer and fall 2009, but the recent absence of discussion of the once-dreaded swine flu has left some wondering, “Is it still around?” and “Should I still get vaccinated?”
Well, yes, on both counts.
“We’ve definitely seen the [H1N1] activity slow down, in part due to the fact that we’ve been able to get people vaccinated over the last few months,” said Jennifer Greene, Appalachian District Health Department’s health promotion supervisor and public information officer.
Most of the health department’s flu vaccine supply arrived in late fall, and priority groups were vaccinated prior to the holiday season.
“We think that helped slow it down,” Greene said.
Although people might feel relieved that H1N1 is no longer as widespread as it had been, Greene still encourages the public to get vaccinated, because influenza-like illnesses typically come in waves and spike in late winter, she said.
“We’ve been through two or three waves at this point,” she said of H1N1 cases, adding that health professionals do not know what to expect for the remainder of the flu season.
“It’s not too late to get vaccinated,” Greene said, adding that the H1N1 vaccine is free and readily available at the health department.
The seasonal flu vaccine is available at the health department for $33.
Greene encouraged everyone to continue regular hand washing as a preventative step for both influenza and for the common cold, and to stay home when sick.
ASU Health Services has seen fewer than five students with influenza-like symptoms per week for the past couple weeks, said Robert Ellison, director of ASU Student Health.
“H1N1 numbers are down uniformly in communities as well as universities,” Ellison said, adding that even the nation’s experts are not sure whether the virus is done or in a dormant state.
About 50 doses of H1N1 vaccine are still available to ASU students, he said, but the university is out of seasonal flu vaccine and will not receive more this schoolyear.
Seasonal flu, which usually begins affecting students about three weeks after Christmas break, has not yet started to show up on campus, Ellison said.
Next year, health professionals expect the H1N1 vaccine to be consolidated with the seasonal flu vaccine, so people will only need one flu shot, Greene said.
In 2009, H1N1 appeared after seasonal flu vaccines had already been manufactured, resulting in the need for an additional vaccine, she said, explaining that flu vaccines take a long time to produce.
For more information about H1N1, call the Appalachian District Health Department at 828-264-6635 or the N.C. Care Line at 1-800-662-7030 (TTY 1-877-452-2514) or click to www.flu.nc.gov or www.apprhs.org and then to “H1N1.”
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