2009 News

November 25, 2009

Additional H1N1 Clinics Slated For December

Between November 10 and 24, more than 41,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine were administered to Bucks County’s school-aged children, offering protection to the county’s largest high-risk population. Two weeks after the Bucks County Health Department (BCHD) opened the doors to its first of 12 mass H1N1 clinics, Director David Damsker, MD, MPH is announcing a second round of clinics, this time for all of the CDC’s priority groups.  

“Now that we’ve made a concerted effort to vaccinate the largest of the priority groups, we are ready to expand our efforts to offer vaccine to all those falling into a CDC high-risk category,” Damsker said.

To accommodate demand in all areas of the county, the department is scheduling clinics in the upper, central and lower portions of the county during the month of December. Bucks County residents only should go to the location closest to their home. Please bring a driver’s license for proof of residency.

Thursday, December 10	4 to 9 p.m.	Pennridge High School 1228 North 5th Street Perkasie, PA 18944
Monday, December 14	4 to 9 p.m.	Central Bucks High School South 1100 Folly Road Warrington, PA  18976
Tuesday, December 15	4 to 9 p.m.	Pennsbury High School East 705 Hood Boulevard Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania 19030

 

The department asks that only individuals in these five groups attend the clinics:

• Pregnant women
• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age
• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
• All people from 6 months through 24 years of age
• Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza such as asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart disease, kidney disease, and neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders

As promised to all Bucks County school districts, the BCHD will also be providing the second vaccine to children ages 9 and under.  However, parents should be sure to wait until at least 21 days from when their child received their first H1N1 vaccine until the second dose is administered.

Damsker also points out that residents with a lab-test result confirming influenza A over the past few months (a category indicating H1N1, the only currently circulating strain in the US) do not need to receive a vaccine. Others who have experienced flu-like symptoms but who have not received a confirming lab result should still get the vaccine, as there is no harm in vaccinating a person who had 2009 H1N1 influenza in the past.

For more information, please contact the county’s Flu Hotline at 877-477-4492.  Callers will hear a recorded message and will have the option to leave contact information for a call-back if necessary.