The intranasal mist form of the H1N1 vaccine will begin to become available in mid to late October in sufficient quantities to support statewide school-based vaccination programs, according to John M. Colmers, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Secretary Colmers wrote in a September 29th memo to local health officers that the 2009 H1N1 influenza disease has re-emerged as anticipated and “is now widespread across the State.” The memo continues:
Children are disproportionately impacted by this influenza strain, and reports of H1N1 outbreaks in school settings continue to increase. This strain is now by far the predominant circulating influenza strain and is very likely to remain so for some time to come.
Given the prevalence of the H1N1 disease, it is important to vaccinate as many children as possible, along with those in other priority populations, using early shipments of H1N1 vaccine.
But the memo goes on to say that because a 4-week waiting period is required between the administration of the Seasonal FluMist vaccine and the intranasal mist form of the H1N1 vaccine, all school-based programs planning to offer the H1N1 mist should suspend their Seasonal FluMist programs until after the H1N1 mist is administered.
No interval of separation is required between the injectable forms of the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines, or between the Seasonal FluMist and the injectable H1N1 vaccine.
Bill Wiseman, spokesman for the Harford County Health Department explained in an e-mail to The Dagger that “there is a 4 week interval required between any intranasal mist influenza immunizations in order to ensure the greatest protection (or, in other words, in order to avoid compromising the level of protection afforded by the vaccine).”
Wiseman said in a phone interview that Harford’s school-based programs, which administer the Seasonal FluMist, were originally planned with the expectations that the H1N1 vaccine would not be available until late October or November and that the vaccine would come first in the injectable form. Now that the H1N1 intranasal mist is expected, he said that the suspension of the Seasonal FluMist program was recommended to allow for the soonest possible administration of the H1N1 mist, given that H1N1 is the primary flu virus currently in circulation.
Harford County Public Schools have suspended the Seasonal FluMist program on the advice of health officials.
Wiseman reiterated the message from State Health Secretary Colmers that there was sufficient time given the normal cycle of the seasonal flu for children to be protected from both the seasonal and H1N1 viruses through the less invasive intranasal mists, but said:
Parents wishing to have their children immunized now against the seasonal strain of flu, are strongly encouraged to take advantage of injectable vaccination opportunities. By doing so, this will render the 4 week waiting time a non-issue when the LAIV/H1N1 vaccine mist becomes available via the HCHD [Harford County Health Department], school outreach initiatives, or otherwise.
Seasonal Flu Vaccinations To Continue at Harford County Clinics
The Harford County Health Department cancelled the first of several seasonal flu vaccination clinics planned for the general population due to delays in the distribution of shipments, saying in a September 25th press release that, despite the delay, no shortage of seasonal flu vaccine was anticipated. Wiseman said again Friday that “no lack of vaccine is expected” and noted that that seasonal flu vaccines are currently available through other venues.
The Dagger contacted several local retail chain stores advertising seasonal flu clinics and found that the vaccine was available at some stores, but not others. Calls to Walmart and Walgreens confirmed that vaccine was being dispensed at some locations. But both the Aberdeen and Bel Air Target stores said they ran out and did not know when new shipments would arrive. A call to the Target corporate office was not immediately returned but a September 29th press release on the corporate website said the vaccine would be available nationwide in October.
Wiseman said the availability of vaccine through the Health Department’s community clinics was an issue of distribution and not a supply problem. He said that sufficient quantities are expected for the next clinic planned for October 16th in Fallston. But the public is encouraged to check for updates at www.harfordcountyhealth.com
Regarding the 4-week waiting period required between applications of intranasal mist vaccines, Wiseman said a decision was made late last week to offer only the injectable form of the seasonal flu vaccine at the community clinics to avoid any conflict with the administration of the H1N1 mist.
Here’s the letter from State Health Secretary Colmers:
STATE OF MARYLAND
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
201 W. Preston Street • Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Martin O’Malley, Governor – Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor – John M. Colmers, SecretaryMEMORANDUM
To: Local Health Officers
From: John M. Colmers
Secretary
Date: September 29, 2009
Subj: H1N1 Flu Mist SuspensionThe anticipated re-emergence of 2009 H1N1 influenza disease has occurred, and is now widespread across the State. Children are disproportionately impacted by this influenza strain, and reports of H1N1 outbreaks in school settings continue to increase. This strain is now by far the predominant circulating influenza strain and is very likely to remain so for some time to come.
Given the prevalence of H1N1 disease, it is important to vaccinate as many children as possible, along with those in other priority populations, using early shipments of H1N1 vaccine. At this time, it is anticipated that quantities of intranasal (LAIV) H1N1 vaccine, sufficient to support school-based H1N1 (LAIV) campaigns, will begin to become available in Maryland sometime in mid- to late October. Again, the objective is to promptly provide vaccine as it arrives to large numbers of children and others at special risk.
There must be a 4 week interval between the application of FluMist® and intranasal H1N1 (LAIV) vaccine. This interval is NOT required between FluMist® and injectable H1N1 vaccine, nor between doses of injectable seasonal and H1N1 vaccines.
Children who have received FluMist® must wait 4 weeks in order to receive a dose of H1N1 (LAIV). Unless injectable H1N1 vaccine is administered, these children will remain unprotected from the primary circulating influenza strain during this 4 week period.
Toll Free 1-877-4MD-DHMH • TTY for Disabled – Maryland Relay Service 1-800-735-2258
Web Site: www.dhmh.state.md.us
Local Health Officers
September 29, 2009Page Two
For this reason, as was discussed on local conference calls today and last week, it will be necessary to postpone FluMist clinics in jurisdictions planning to use H1N1 LAIV in school-based clinics. Effective October 1, local health department school-based FluMist® clinics should be suspended where H1N1 LAIV is being planned for subsequent school-based clinics. This suspension will allow for school-based H1N1 (LAIV) clinics planned by many local health departments to go forward without delay. Four weeks following completion of these H1N1 (LAIV) school-based clinics, school-based FluMist® clinics could be resumed. Alternatively, local heath departments may arrange for other use of the FluMist® vaccine, consistent with the purposes of the ARRA stimulus funding.
Suspension of FluMist® in school-based clinics is NOT necessary for those jurisdictions planning to immunize school-aged children with injectable H1N1 vaccine, as the 4 week separation is not required.
I recognize that this suspension will result in many challenges. However, it is a public health imperative that steps are taken now to allow for the greatest number of children to have access to H1N1 vaccine, including LAIV, as soon as it is available in the State. I appreciate your efforts and commitment to the success of this unprecedented undertaking.
cc: Frances Phillips
Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services
I bet Obama injected some of his Commie serum into this batch. Better keep our kids home from school on those days…
Wait a dosh garn minute! Are programs like this and other vaccination programs, which have been going on for years, socialized medicine? Isn’t it so evil? Don’t we need to be saved from the evil of socialized medicine?
No, the government may be helping distribute the vaccines in schools and health departments, but the drug companies are the ones developing the vaccines and setting the prices. If the government set the prices, the drug companies wouldn’t bother because they couldn’t make a profit. And if the government made the vaccine, well, there probably wouldn’t be one, at least not for a long, long time. You can go to a government clinic and stand in line and hope they don’t run out before you get there, or you can go to your doctor, make an appointment, and have a vaccine reserved for your appointment.
What a total load of horse-crap. This is EXACTLY what the proposed public option would be. Private Doctors do the job, the government pays for it. It is amazing to me how much teabaggers like Sandy have been mislead by Reagan’s total BS wholesale program of instilling hatred of the government. The govt does many many things really well, and things such as sponsoring medical care and vaccination is one of those areas. Truth is, if it were not for government involvement in health care and medical research/promotion, the vast majority of people around us would not be alive.
The teabaggers need to finish already with this God-forsaken use of fear and hatred to extend their narrow-minded philosophy. A sad truth about people is that they are easily mislead through fear, something the modern Repugs are very good at doing (go back to the 2008 primary and see how often Repug candidates constantly referred back to 9/11 and the general threat of terrorism on our soil… it was the only foot they really had to stand on other than general fear of the government itself). Defeated bringing up the specter of 9/11, the Repug teabaggers have reverted to the only part left, hate the government, hate the government, the government can’t do anything right! Get the government out of our lives (except to tell a woman what to do with her own body, then it is okay for the government to tell us what to do)… how pathetic.
And ranting like that certainly won’t help bring any sort of balance to the situation. Propose some logical and reasoned solutions rather than spewing venom right back. Maybe you’ll be able to persuade others. As of now, you’re just making noise.
With all the ranting it’s a little hard to understand your point. The public option would be people choosing to pay the government a premium for healthcare and getting their health coverage through them, instead of BCBS, UHC, etc. That doesn’t have anything to do with the kids getting the flumist vaccines in school. There is no premium to cover them for anything.
Nothing to do with fear and hatred of the government, just inefficiency and waste. I’m a stay at home mom with 3 kids and a great niece I babysit without pay to help my young niece make ends meet. My husband is self employed. We work hard to feed and clothe the 5 and sometime 6 or 7 of us. I hate to see our money wasted through a system of nonsense and bureoucracy when we can spend and save it much smarter ourselves.
Could someone please get this bitter, name-calling, homophobe a copy of the Constitution (and maybe a Valium or two)?
It sounds like someone’s panicking at the thought of his people’s little Socialist utopia not coming to fruition. 🙂
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” -Winston Churchill
Proud Democrat – once again, thank you for your educated response. I too wish that the tea baggers would read what they are against. Sandy, et al., the public option would use private doctors as does Medicare. Why do you refuse to understand the facts? And, making sure that the population is properly immunized against disease and infection is the job of the government. They are very good at it. I am sick and tired of your group telling us to “read the Constitution.” I have read it and it specifically says “promote the general welfare” – which would include providing adequate, affordable health care to ALL of its citizens.
Actually, the doctors could choose if they want to accept the gov’t insurance, just as they can choose which insurance companies they want to participate with now. Well, that’s the theory, there really is no bill written yet, just ideas being kicked around.
As a parent, it is my job to decide whether or not I want to get my children immunized with the Flu vaccine. I choose to get my daughter who has asthma immunized, I don’t get my other 2 immunuzed against the flu because I am not 100% sure of the safety of yearly immunizations and feel for healthy teens it would be safer for them to just get the flu. I feel the same way about the chicken pox vaccine. That’s my choice as a parent, not the government’s job!
You all really aren’t understanding the difference between our federal constitution and state and county programs.
Correct that is your decision unless your decision endagers others. Hence the requirement to get a chicken pox vaccine for school if you haven’t gotten it yet. BTW these vaccines are optional.
Great. Another lecturing, ill-advised homophobe. Why are you ranting against homosexuals? What do they have to do with this issue as a group?
I really question how dangerous the chicken pox is for healthy kids. Sure, if it is dangerous for your child to have chicken pox, get them vaccinated, but for health kids, we really don’t know the long term effects. All 3 of my kids had chicken pox because I chose not to have them vaccinated, I’d hardly call it a serious illness. Now, small pox and polio, I’m all for those. The benefit outweights the risks, but chicken pox is going a little overboard for most kids in my opinion. In fact, I was just discussing this with my kids’ doctor last month and she completely agrees. She disagrees with the guardasil vaccine as well. My kids aren’t lab rats.
Sandy we agree on that. My oldest had CP as a kid my one on the way will be attending a pox party as soon as I can find one so that I do not have to vaccinate her. I really feel this way because if we just vaccinate for everything as kids then their immune systems do not learn how to do their jobs. That said let us replace CP in my statement with Measles?
ProudDemocrat you are. Profane, rude, name-calling crybaby. The gov’t does nothing well. It is not our savior. The innovation and inventions that have saved lives have come from free individuals operating in a free-market environment. This freedom will cease to exist if you get your Big Government Utopia. You are bereft of facts and class. You are a product of your pathetic public school indoctrination. Private doctors should be paid by their clients, not the American taxpayer. You are the pathetic stooge, not Sandy. Have you taken your government mandated flu shots yet?
Wilted Lily – You have got to be kidding or do you just drink all of the kool aid the tea baggers give you. While our innovation comes from the minds of our great Americans, you do realize that most of those innovations are funded by tax payers – through grants, government contracts, etc. Many universities are funded by tax payers. Many private universities receive phenomenal grants that allow for researchers to make great advancements that are then used by the public to create pharmaceuticals, electronics, safety items, on and on. Not to mention the fact the entrepreneurs take advantage of the Small Business Administration or the fact that most of the individuals making these great inventions you are speaking of were educated at public schools, drank from safe public water, were protected by publically funded police and fire departments, not to mention the defense department, and drove on federally funded roads. You are ridiculous in saying that government does nothing well. You are the one that is rude, profane and a crybaby. Check your facts – you know on your internet, compliments of the, dare we say it, government!
Kim, Government grants are one of the first things to be cut in order to pay for socialized medicine. Currently, we are the country who discovers the new drugs, the new life saving equipment and techniques. We won’t have the money to do that when we are trillions of dollars in debt. It will be a huge setback for the whole world. I’m pretty sure China doesn’t care enough about it’s people to spend it’s new economic wealth on developing better drugs and MRI machines. No one else can afford it.
But the govt bought the vaccines here didn’t they??????? They subsidized the cost for the consumer?????? Is that not socialized medicine?
The government doesn’t have any money, only what they take from us. And they waste more than any logical person would. Most children in Harford County have health insurance. So the gov’t is going to pay to vaccinate kids who have insurance who would pay for the vaccine. Now we have the gov’t subsidizing the insurance companies with my tax dollars, and I already pay a fortune in premiums.
Please get your keyboard checked. The question mark is getting stuck.
Sorry Sandy, that was meant for Cdev the Contrarian.
SO the govt took the money and spent our money on flu vaccines? Is that socialized. Then setting up clinics in schools. Don’t the TEA Party people call that socialism and spending tax dollars on things that are not in the constitution. Where are flu shots in the Constitution? Add to that if all the children have health insurance should you not take them to the doctor to get them vaccinaated?
Um, I’m detecting sarcasm but I’m not getting it. Of course it should be up to the parents to take their children to their doctors, or where ever they choose, to get their flu vaccines if they choose to do so. As far as socialism, I don’t think so. I think this is a county program, not a federal program. Unless I missed President Obama signing a law forcing all schools to set up a FluMist program. My little niece keeps me busy but I’m pretty sure I would have caught that! Paying for kids to get a vaccine that they have insurance to cover is just a waste of money! Next time you go to the doctor’s would you tell them not to bill your insurance, you’re feeling generous so this one’s on you?
I pay for my insurance. These flu shots are not being paid for by the individual but the state govt. Thus it is govt. medical care which many in the TEA party seem to call socialized medicine. Funny this is OK with them?
I don’t think many conservatives consider it socialized medicine unless it is paid for by the fed. government. I’m not sure it is paid for by the state government either, it might be county, I really don’t know. But socialized medicine would have to be coming from the federal government. The constitution gives all rights not specifically given to the fed. gov’t to the states, so they can decide to sponsor a program like this if they choose to. But what a waste! We subsided banks, auto makers, and now health insurance companies? At the same time we say health insurance companies make too much money? Someone needs to make up their mind. This certainly isn’t OK with me. Why are my tax dollars paying for something that someone’s health insurance should be paying for?
So Medical and Mass do not have socialized medicine?
I don’t know what you mean by medical by no, Massachussetts doesn’t have socialized medicine. Our whole society doesn’t contribute, I don’t pay for it. That’s something they decided to do.
You mean like the American people are choosing a “public option”? A recent CBS/NYT poll showed that 72% of Americans (including 50% of Republicans) want a public program option. That to me means that the people are deciding to do it.
Poll numbers depend on who you poll and the way the questions are asked. Remember, there is no bill on the table, so there is nothing to be simply for or against. They would have to be some pretty long poll questions to make any sense at all. Lots of details about how that public option would work! Or are you saying those polls are just for some sort of reform, whole different question.
Sandy, it is most certainly possible to be for something without there being a specific bill laying it out. You may be for limited government, for instance, but I don’t totally discredit your opinion because there’s not a specific, comprehensive bill that proposes exactly what you want.
Here are links to a couple of surveys:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/opinion/polls/main5098517.shtml
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009062515/new-poll-shows-tremendous-support-public-health-care-option
And here are two more links to surveys, including one of doctors:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZF2CT7u4sNJQcE_GnFXHJDWyEZg
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/poll-even-republican-voters-favor-the-public-option.php
Sorry MediCAL
Dave, as you can probably tell, I’m a cynic. I would never say I am for something without knowing all the details. No way, no how. They will probably slip something in there about a bridge to nowhere or another program to pay big corporate farming corporations not to farm. And no way if congress continues to exempt themselves from it. That’s a big red warning that something isn’t right.
I saw poll numbers last night that showed it was about 50/50, so I guess it all depends on who you ask. I was never one to just go with the majority so poll numbers don’t mean much to me anyway.
Sandy, I’m not surprised that you are cynical about the reforms being discussed, and frankly, I wasn’t trying to convince you to change your mind by posting the links to the polls.
However, you stated that it’s not socialized medicine in Massachusetts because it’s something “they decided to do.” If the American people “choose” health care reform (and a public option), it would be fine then, right?
Dave, we live in a republic. It wouldn’t be the people choosing, it would be our representatives choosing. They are supposed to vote their conscience, not what they think will make them the most powerful, not even what they think most people are in favor of. We choose them to represent us and to vote what THEY think is right for our country. We put our trust in them. So, if they vote for socialized medicine it will be a shame. It should be tossed by the Supreme Court because nowhere in the constitution does it give the Federal Government the right to force any kind of health insurance on us. What a crazy thing, to think that the Fed. Gov’t can tell us we have to purchase health insurance whether we want to or not. But I’ve seen some crazier decisions made by the Supreme Court so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
And you misunderstood. The reason it isn’t socialized medicine in Mass. is because it is only state wide. It would have to be nationwide to be socialized.
What a crazy idea, indeed. Sort of like the requirement to purchase car insurance, whether you want to or not…
I understand how our republic works, etc. So how would you feel if this fails on the federal level but Maryland were to create its own “public option”?
“What a crazy idea, indeed. Sort of like the requirement to purchase car insurance, whether you want to or not…”
No, not really like that at all. My car insurance affects others if I hit them, my health insurance is only for me.
Also, if I don’t want to purchase car insurance, I don’t buy a car. What correlates to this if health insurance is required?
The fact that when you go to the emergency room without health insurance, the rest of society bears the burden for your for your care, instead of a health care company/organization set up to do exactly that (private or public) which you have been paying into.
Cdev, I agree with Phil Dirt. Car insurance affects others. I can choose whether to get my own car covered, I just have to have the coverage to pay for the other person if I were to hit them. And we should hold others respnsible for their own bills in an ER situation, not just pass it on to the tax payers. It may take them years to pay it off, but it is their debt and they should be responsible for it. It should be handled as any other loan except I don’t think anyone should be turned away when they are truly in need of medical care.
Sorry, that last response was directed to Dave, not Cdev. Also Dave, if MD decides on socialized medicine, well, there isn’t anything I can do about it except move if it becomes too much of a nightmare.
The program is a nice idea, but if H1N1 is already wide spread, isn’t this a whole lot too late? I guess this is either a case of ‘better late than never’ or ‘do it anyway and have the benefit of looking good’.
And the first one coming out is the nasal spray which can’t be taken by anyone sick. My daughter has asthma and can’t take the spray because it is spraying a live, although weakened, virus into her lungs. She has to wait for the shot which is a killed virus.
Aberdeen middle school has over 25 confirmed cases of H1N1. BUT….HCPS will not confirm it because the Health Department won’t confirm. These confirmations come from parent doctors. HCPS better stop being cowards about this and admit we have a swine flu problem in Aberdeen. This is the same chicken shit mentality that got them in trouble with the Obama speech!
They have tons of cases in this county!
Thank’s for the head’s up on the H1N1 virus. but we the people have to treat it as and unconfirmed rumor. other wise I’am sure the local school’s would be vacant.
They are not closing the school in Aberdeen even though they are hard hit with H1N1. On Monday my daughter reported more then 50% of her class was out. Both my kids have been out of Aberdeen schools since Monday because of the flu, so not sure what the current situation is. You have to remember when they say 25 confirmed cases that means hundreds of others. They don’t even test for H1N1 unless there are severe underlying medical conditions. Our doctor told us to keep them home and feed them lots of fluid. There is not much the schools can do, but I am curious about the attendance numbers.
Update coming soon.
Phil Dirt – I’m not sure if you are for or against requiring health insurance, but you seemed to have argued for it. Just like car insurance, health insurance does affect everyone. And, in the particular thread we were talking about vaccines. The failure to adequately vaccinate a majority of the population leaves the whole population open to an epidemic. Hence the fallacy in the argument when people say they don’t get say a polio vaccine because they don’t need it. They don’t need it because the rest of us get the vaccine. So, if you fail to get vaccinated, just like a decision not to purchase auto insurance, you jeopardize the health of others and could even cause their death. Yes, you can choose not to drive a car, and while you could argue that you could choose to live as a hermit, most people interact with others and put them at risk if they are not vaccinated. As far as health insurance is concerned, if you choose to not have health insurance, and once again, unfortunately many people do not make that choice, but are instead unable to afford health insurance, you put all of us at risk. Rep. Eric Cantor’s suggestion that you can find emergency room care or care from a charity is not “free.” The costs are passed on, and we do all end up paying more when we are insured in higher insurance premiums.
Please see the latest story on H1N1 in the schools here:
http://www.daggerpress.com/2009/10/10/despite-outbreaks-in-harford-schools-h1n1-flu-seems-to-be-a-mild-one/
getting vaccinated helps prevent a potential pandemic. even though you may not succumb, you may potentially pass it to someone else who does die from it. this stran is a concern because healthy children are vulnerble, they have no immunity to it.
as far as health reform. it’s time. the US is 37th in the world as far as health quality. there was an article today that an obese infant was denied insurance…the local children’s therapy center can’t accept insurance because insurance companies can’t pay for it..try seeing the positive side to reform.
First, you actually have to have the H1N1 flu to pass it on to someone else. You can not pass it on if you are around someone who is sick if you are not sick yourself. Like many people you and Kim are mistaking Health insurance for Health care. The H1N1 vaccine is free to the public, the regular flu shot is $25. There is nothing from preventing someone from going to get vaccinated and just paying for it. No law saying you have to have Health insurance to be treated. Well, no law YET!
I think it would be a great idea for my kids to be vaccinated in school before it becomes even more widespread, but call me crazy….