When will H1N1 vaccine be available?
The first shipments are expected to begin arriving early in October. By mid-October, H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine is expected to be readily available in abundant quantities.

Will the H1N1 vaccine be mandatory?
No, the H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine is voluntary.

Who should receive it first?

Georgia and Southwest Health District will be following CDC guidance on who should be vaccinated when demand exceeds initial supplies of vaccine. For those initial vaccination efforts, CDC has identified five target groups whose members are at higher risk for influenza or influenza-related complications, are likely to come in contact with influenza viruses as part of their occupation and could transmit influenza viruses to others in medical care settings, or are close contacts of infants less than 6 months in age (who are too young to be vaccinated).

Subsets of those target population groups who are first priority when only limited vaccine supplies are available are:

Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated

• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated
• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare system capacity
• Children from 6 months through 4 years of age

Children 5 through 18 years who have chronic medical conditions

With the exception of health care personnel, occupation is not a determining factor for initial vaccination. Rather, individuals in all occupations should assess if they fall into one of the five target groups and decide if vaccination is appropriate for them. It is anticipated that sufficient supplies of vaccine will become available quickly and anyone wishing to receive vaccination will be able.

Does the H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccination replace the annual flu vaccine? No, everyone is encouraged to get both vaccinations as they become available.

Why are the recommendations for who should receive H1N1 (Swine) Flu vaccine different from annual flu vaccine? Even though the H1N1 (Swine) Flu is an influenza virus like seasonal flu, it is affecting different groups of people more significantly than seasonal influenza. As with any disease vaccination, experts develop their recommendations by using current disease patterns, identifying population groups that are most at-risk for severe illness by determining who is getting ill more frequently and having more severe complications and taking into account how much vaccine could be available and when.

More information is available at:

• Your county health department Southwest Health District’s Web site, www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org
• Southwest Health District’s toll-free Flu Hotline, 1-800-829-2255
• www.flu.gov
• www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
• www.health.state.ga.us/h1n1flu/