H1N1 Vaccinations
by Dan Cleveland
NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
CONTACT
Leah Bucco-White, Communication and Legislative Services,
402-471-9356, Leah.bucco-white@nebraska.gov
Unvaccinated High-Risk People
Encouraged to
Get H1N1 Flu Vaccine Now
Vaccine Will Be Available to General Public Dec. 21
Note: Sound bites on this topic are
available at: http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/audio/
Lincoln – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) encourages high-risk people who haven’t received
H1N1 flu vaccine to contact their local physician or local health
department and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
"Flu is unpredictable and the season typically runs through April
so building immunity is important,” said Dr. Joann Schaefer, Chief
Medical Officer for DHHS. “Vaccination is the best protection
against the flu. That’s why it’s critical to get as many people
vaccinated as we can.”
Nebraska is seeing a decline in H1N1 flu activity. State health
officials say this is a window of opportunity for more people to be
vaccinated. Health officials will start offering H1N1 flu vaccine
to Nebraskans outside the initial target groups Dec. 21, however
vaccinating high-risk people remains a priority.
If Nebraskans fall into the high-risk category and haven’t been
vaccinated, the time to do it is now. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends the following priority groups be
vaccinated:
• Anyone 6 months-24 years old
• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for babies 6 months old and
younger
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel
• People 25-64 years old with underlying medical conditions, like
heart disease or asthma
People falling into the priority groups should call their local
physician’s office. If their doctor doesn’t have vaccine, they
should contact their local health department. For a list of local
health departments go to http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/puh/oph/lhd.htm.
More vaccination questions? Contact your local health department or
the DHHS Flu Information Hotline at 1-888-541-5668 or 402-471-2579.
Specialists are available to assist you Monday through Friday from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time. For more flu information, visit the
DHHS Web site at www.dhhs.ne.gov/influenza.
Source: Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
