Southern Nevada gets first shipment of flu spray

By Mary Manning

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009 | 12:34 p.m.

The Southern Nevada Health District said it has received its first shipment of H1N1 flu spray nasal mist, which will go to protect health care workers and emergency medical technicians who meet the guidelines for receiving it.

This shipment is 20,600 doses of FluMist, designed to protect health care workers from the novel flu, also known as swine influenza, through an inhaled vaccine.

Due to the limited number of doses of the flu vaccine, health care workers will be first to receive the inhaled versions, health officials said.

Nevada received more than 28,000 doses this week, said Nevada State Health Division spokeswoman Martha Framsted. The 7,400 remaining nasal sprays are being distributed by the state Health Division to rural clinics in counties outside Washoe and Clark counties, she said.

Health care workers are given priority by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to receive the H1N1 vaccine first. The inhaled vaccine is safe for healthy people between 2 and 49 years.

The nasal spray consists of live virus and is not approved for pregnant women and children and adults with underlying medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.

Each week H1N1 flu vaccine will be shipped to states and health departments as it becomes available, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Next week injectable vaccines will be shipped, Frieden said.