H1N1 Influenza

For information about our
current flu vaccine supply,
please call our office and press 9. You will hear a recording
which will soon list all of our
flu vaccines available and
what our current stock is.
As we get shipments and
as we run out, we will
be continually updating
this recording.

For the latest information on the H1N1 influenza virus, please go to www.cdc.gov or to www.flu.gov. These sites have the most up to date information on this pandemic anywhere available, including information for parents, employers, and employees. Indiana’s toll-free H1N1 hotline # is 1-877-826-0011. This number is answered from 8:15 am to 4:45 pm, Monday thru Friday.

You are contagious until you are at least 24hours without a fever, and that includes being on NO fever reducers like Tylenol or Motrin. You cannot send your child back to school until they are fever free for 24 hours, however you child will still possibly cough for several days after the fever subsides. So, if your child still has a slight cough but is fever free, the CDC recommends they can return to school.

Once you have caught true H1N1 influenza, you cannot catch it again this season. This illness may move its way through your family, but it will not pass back and forth over and over. You can still catch the three other seasonal influenzas that are still coming this winter. We highly recommend everyone still get a flu shot for the seasonal flu even if they have already caught H1N1 flu. Due to the ramped up production for the H1N1 vaccine, the seasonal vaccine has had some supply issues. We will do our best to have it available and will try hard to continue to communicate our supply availability to you over the next few months.

The new H1N1 specific vaccine that has come out has caused some controversy about it being new and untested. The regular seasonal flu shot we give out every year is actually 'new'. Every year the flu shot has several strains that are coming to the area, and those strains change every year. This year's regular seasonal flu shot has 3 strains, but not H1N1. The H1N1 vaccine is made in the same ways as flu shots are made all over the world for many years and millions of doses. This H1N1 shot has this one strain only, and will not protect for the other 3 seasonal flu strains that we expect will be coming this winter. The other 3 influenzas are not circulating as of October, so if you have true influenza 'flu' right now, it is most likely the H1N1. You cannot catch the flu from the flu shot. However it takes 2-4 weeks after you get the shot usually before you produce any antibodies for protection. During that time after the shot, you can still catch the flu from someone. So if you get the flu the week after you get the flu shot, it was not the shot that caused it. Some data shows that you will possibly have a more mild case if you have had a recent shot. The shot is not perfect, and a little over 10% of vaccinated people can still catch the flu later that season. They usually have a much more mild case, though.

For me, Dr. Mescia, the gold standard question is 'would you do that for your child?' I have given all 3 of my children their regular flu immunization and I do every year, and I also plan on giving them the H1N1 immunization when it comes out. The known risks associated with these vaccines are much smaller than the risks associated with taking the chance of catching the H1N1 or any other influenza disease. I don’t know of anyone else who works here who would do any differently with their children either. We are working very hard with everyone in our staff coming in on their usual time off to help out with this pandemic, but this area has never seen this volume of sick kids before. Please be patient with us, your pharmacist and the rest of the medical community.