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Published: November 4, 2009 3:00 a.m.

First responders next to receive H1N1 shots

Amanda Iacone
The Journal Gazette
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Flu clinics
Allen County

Where: Carew Medical Park, 1818 Carew St., Suite 300

When: 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today and 1 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday

What:

H1N1 injection vaccine

Who: Pregnant women; ages 6 months to 18 years; caregivers of infants younger than 6 months (siblings, parents, child care providers; adults must be younger than 49)

•Anyone with a fever cannot receive the injection

What: H1N1 nasal spray vaccine

Who: Healthy children and young adults ages 2 to 24; caregivers of infants younger than 6 months (siblings, parents, child care providers; adults must be younger than 49)

•If a child has received any live vaccines in the past 28 days, such as MMR, chickenpox or the seasonal flu mist, the child cannot be given the nasal spray.

DeKalb County

Where: DeKalb County Annex, 215 E. 9th St., Auburn

When: By appointment Thursday – call 260-925-2220

Who: Pregnant women

What: H1N1 injection vaccine – does not contain thimerosal

Where: DeKalb County Annex, 215 E. 9th St., Auburn, large basement conference room

When: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday

Who: Ages 6 months to 35 months

What: H1N1 vaccine

Also
Obesity appears to be a risk factor on a par with pregnancy for developing complications from an infection with the H1N1 virus, according to the most comprehensive look yet at swine flu hospitalizations.

About a quarter of hospitalizations for such complications have been in people who were morbidly obese, even though such people make up less than 5 percent of the population. That fivefold increase in risk is nearly the same as the sixfold increase observed in pregnant women, according to the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Allen County firefighters and emergency medical workers will begin receiving vaccinations to guard against the H1N1 flu virus Friday.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health announced Tuesday that three additional mass vaccination clinics are planned at Carew Medical Park this week.

Health officials invited city and volunteer fire departments to a special clinic Friday. Just 200 doses of the vaccine were reserved for the first responders, and departments were asked to send members who have direct contact with patients, department spokesman John Silcox said.

Unless firefighters or medics are included in other high-priority groups, they have yet to receive the vaccine, Silcox said. The department will likely have another round of vaccines available for emergency responders next week, he said.

Dr. Deb McMahan, Allen County health commissioner, said that as more of the vaccine is available, she will likely offer it to high-priority groups the department has not yet vaccinated.

That could include adults with chronic health conditions. Until now, the department has focused on children, Silcox said. The department has also provided the vaccine to pregnant women, caregivers of infants younger than 6 months, and health care workers.

Doses are sent to Indiana counties in quantities based on population, but each county is responsible for determining how best to distribute its allotment of the vaccine to residents. Manufacturing delays have limited the amount of vaccine available nationwide.

aiacone@jg.net

– Los Angeles Times