Health District to offer only flu nasal spray vaccine

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 | 10:45 a.m.

Sun health coverage

The Southern Nevada Health District is offering H1N1 flu nasal spray vaccine only for the next seven to 10 days, health officials said today, because the injectable vaccine is unavailable.

The FluMist nasal spray against the novel H1N1 flu is available today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is being offered at the health district's center, 625 Shadow Lane, at the front of the building.

Health officials announced today that priority groups have been expanded to include healthy people -- and those who are not pregnant -- up to the age of 24.

In addition, priority groups who can receive the nasal spray vaccine include people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact and children and young adults between the ages of 2 and 24 years.

Pregnant women are advised not to get the H1N1 Flu Mist vaccine because it uses a live virus, which could affect fetuses, health officials said. The FluMist is also not recommended for those with underlying medical conditions because of weakened immune systems.

The health district's spokeswoman, Stephanie Bethel, said more deliveries of the injectable vaccine are expected to arrive within a week to 10 days. Until then there is an ample supply of FluMist available for people in the priority groups who wish to receive it.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this morning that the H1N1 flu virus continues to spread nationwide. A total of 46 states, including Nevada, report that the virus is "widespread," he said.

There have been "many millions of cases" of the H1N1 flu cases in the United States since the virus was first detected in April, Frieden said. Children and young adults continue to account for most of the patients.

More than 1,000 residents in the United States have died from the H1N1 flu, including 12 Clark County residents and a 13th patient from New York who was hospitalized in Las Vegas.

Since the spring, 20,000 people in the United States have been hospitalized, Frieden said.

The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is given free of charge with the government footing the bill, Frieden said.

For more information about receiving the available vaccines, visit the Southern Nevada Health District's Web site. There is also a helpline at (702) 759-4636.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By mred

10/23/09 at 11:37 a.m.

Suggest removal

Rush and Glen Beck say don't get the vaccine (two experts when it comes to drugs and alcohol)

Therefore, a questionnaire should ask people in line whether they are dittoheads or Beckheads.

Also, if they get the flu they should be denied medical treatment because they don't like government. (government vaccine program)
By neiman1

10/23/09 at 12:12 p.m.

Suggest removal

Beck didn't say not to take the vaccine. His program on H1N1 had doctors from each view discuss the reason's to take it or not to. Beck actually said he would not reveal his decision for himself as he didn't want to influence people one way or another as he was not a medical expert.

Amazing how people who don't watch or listen to these people know what they said or think.

I just want to know what happened to all of our governments assurances the vaccine would be plentiful and in place when needed?
By mred

10/23/09 at 12:45 p.m.

Suggest removal

The private sector manufactures and tests the vaccine, not the government. We need government vaccine manufacturing facilities, because the private sector can't do the job. What if N Korea or terrorist devise a new virus? We need to be able to quickly produce enough vaccine.

Anyone who gets their medical advice from fox, Beck, talk radio deserves what happens to them. All of Beck's books are ghost written, the guy's a disk jockey like Limpbow, he has no academic or professional credentials whatsoever.
By mred

10/23/09 at 12:52 p.m.

Suggest removal

The private sector is manufacturing and testing the vaccine, not the government. We need a government vaccine manufacturing capability because the private sector can't do the job

The vaccine program would be considered Fascism by Beck. Fox told him to tone it down because the militia nuts and other weak minded recovering drug and alcohol abusers might go McVey.
By RyMan

10/24/09 at 2:15 a.m.

Suggest removal

There are too many trolls on the lvsun site. Beck and Limbaugh? Really? Why is this a relative topic to the H1N1 article above?
As much as I dislike Beck or Limbuagh's opinions I found no reason to bash them here about this topic when the article itself didn't even mention them. So let's be honest this is really all about giving mred (and people in other articles' comments) a soundboard to complain about random things and make pseudo-political statements based on little more thought than it takes to sneeze.
...sigh...
yeah, yeah, anyone that believes something i don't is an idiot.... We heard you all, now can we get back to something vaguely resembling rationality?