Swine Flu Vaccination: What You Should Know
The initial doses of swine flu vaccine are being administered to recipients who are high up in the priority list as we speak, and with a relatively new illness such as H1N1, it is not surprising that there are a lot of questions on people’s minds.
For those who are interested in having themselves and/or members of their family vaccinated against swine flu and would like to know when these will become available, they already are; at least, doses have already been shipped off and should already have been received by distributors and retailers. However, getting the vaccine will probably not be as easy as popping in at any doctor’s office and paying up. It will be in your best interest if you get in touch with your doctor or with clinics, pharmacies and other retailers in your area regarding the level of availability and what their procedures are for distributing the vaccine.
If the vaccine is ready and available, who gets to receive them first? In the case of swine flu vaccine in the nasal spray form, its use is approved for healthy people aged 2 until 49. At this time, initial doses have already been administered to health care workers who directly interact with patients. Next in line are caregivers and household members who take care and come into contact with infants below 6 months old. The rationale behind it is that these young infants are highly susceptible to swine flu but could not receive the vaccine yet, so it makes good sense to ensure that immunization is done on the people they interact with.
In the case of another high-risk group, women who are pregnant, flu injections are to be administered since nasal spray is NOT approved for use on pregnant women. Adults are to be given one dose of the vaccine; children will receive two doses.
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