WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsCommunity efforts protect children against H1N1

Community efforts protect children against H1N1

Eau Claire (Press Release) - The Eau Claire City-County Health Department provided 862 H1N1 vaccinations yesterday at a four-hour walk-in clinic held at Peace Lutheran Church.

“We are prepared to serve large numbers of people at public health clinics. People appreciated not having a long wait, “ said Richard Thoune, Health Department Director/Health Officer.

This clinic and the Health Department clinics being held over the next week are a collaborative community effort.  A clinic of this size would not be possible without the support of volunteers and the healthcare community. Community volunteers, nurse volunteers from UW-EC and CVTC, public health nurses and staff members from all other divisions of the Health Department staffed the clinic. Hmong and Spanish interpreters assisted non-English speaking families.  

The focus was on protecting children who are at high risk of complications from H1N1 influenza (flu).  The people vaccinated were:

• Persons who live with or provide care for infants ages 6 months or younger, such as parents, siblings, daycare providers, etc.
• Children ages 6 months through 4 years old
• Children and teens ages 5 through 18 years old with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

H1N1 flu vaccine will also be offered to protect children at high risk at these three sites on the specified dates:

   Augusta Community Center on Monday, November 9^th from 4-6:30 pm

   Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire on Tuesday, November 10^10th from 3-6:30 pm

H1N1 flu vaccine (both shots and nasal mist) will be given at no charge.  Children under 10 years old will need two H1N1 flu shots.  Clinics will be provided in December to give the second shot.

“We encourage families and infant caregivers to take advantage of these public clinics to protect young children and youth most at risk,” Thoune said.

The Eau Claire Health Department’s vaccination plan follows Department of Health Services (DHS) recommendations. Initially, the Health Department vaccinated health care workers and emergency services personnel to protect people already ill and to assure that needed healthcare services remain available. The Health Department redistributed vaccine to medical providers for pregnant women, another high-risk group. Now the focus is on protecting children at high risk.

Additional community-based clinics for all who want to receive the vaccine will be held as H1N1 vaccine becomes more readily available.  When clinics are scheduled, times and locations can be found on line at www.BeReadyEC.com, by calling the Health Department’s Immunization Line at 839-6061, 2-1-1 or by contacting your health care provider.

The production of H1N1 vaccine continues to be slower than anticipated. The CDC remains optimistic it will achieve the goal of making the H1N1 vaccine available to all of those who need and want it.