December 28, 2009

by: admin @ 5:47 pm

The Hopkinton Drug now has a limited supply of seasonal flu shots available. The flu season generally runs through march, if you haven’t received your flu shot yet – you still have time to get vaccinated!

Call 508-435-4441 ext. 113 for an appointment or more information

October 8, 2009

by: rferraro @ 9:45 am

According to the CDC guidlines the Inactivated Injectable Seasonal and H1N1 vaccines can be administered simutaneously. The vaccines should be administered in different arms. I would recommend, however, that people get the Seasonal and H1N1 on different days, otherwise, if you have an allergic reaction, you won’t not know which vaccine you are reacting to.

The Live seasonal nasal mist and Live 2009 H1N1 nasal mist SHOULD NOT be administered at the same visit

by: rferraro @ 9:30 am

CDC recommendations for the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine. Who is recommended to receive the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine?
When vaccine is first available, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended the 2009 H1N1 vaccine for the following 5 target groups (approximately 159 million persons nationally):

-Pregnant women

-Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (e.g. parents, siblings, and daycare providers)

-Health care and emergency medical services personnel

-Persons from 6 months through 24 years of age

-Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of influenza complications

Once providers meet the demand for vaccine among persons in these initial target groups, vaccination is recommended for all persons 25 through 64 years of age. Current studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the risk for younger age groups. However, once vaccine demand among younger age groups has been met, programs and providers should offer vaccination to people 65 or older.

When will vaccine be available for those who aren’t in the 5 initial target groups?

The availability of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine will differ by state. Once the demand for vaccine for the initial target groups has been met at the local level, programs and providers should begin vaccinating everyone from the ages of 25 through 64 years, then followed by vaccination of people 65 years and older. It is expected that vaccine supply should increase quickly in late October and early November.

September 23, 2009

by: rferraro @ 3:29 pm

Information provided by Medical Epidemiologists Dr. Daniel Jernigan, Deputy Director of the CDC Influenza Division and Dr. Jay Butler, Chief of CDC 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force.

-Children and young adults are still being hit the hardest by the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus, which reflects what happend this past spring, and it’s occurring again in the late summer and in the fall here in the United States. The CDC is finding that the H1N1 flu is being reported in all 50 states with 21 states reporting widespread activity.

-The CDC expects that if H1N1 remains the predominant strain that more younger people will be affected than have been in the past. In previous flu seasons older individuals are often more affected.

-Some parts of the country will have disease, while some parts may not. The CDC expects to see waves of disease going from one part of the country to another. Currently in the southeast there’s a considerable amount of influenza disease, consistent with the opening of schools earlier in that region. As schools open in other regions of the country after Labor Day, the CDC expects increases in numbers of cases to occur.

-The CDC has data indicating a good antibody response to the H1N1 vaccines, adults appear to have a robust antibody response suggesting that a single dose should provide protection. Additionally, there’s been no mutation in the virus so there is every indication of a good match between the H1N1 virus and the vaccines we have to be able to prevent it.

- Initially, the CDC anticipates that about 3.4 million doses of H1N1 vaccine will be available. All of that inital H1N1 vaccine release will be the live attenuated vaccine, or the nasal spray which will be specific for the H1N1 virus (the same dosage form of nasal spray used for the seasonal flu vaccine),

- A single dose would be required for people age 10 and older, The CDC anticipates that two doses will be required for younger children, and this is the same case as occurs with seasonal flu vaccine.

CLICK HERE to read the entire Transcript of the CDC News Conference

September 10, 2009

by: rferraro @ 2:57 pm

Many healthcare professionals have been asking if it’s too soon to start vaccinating patients against seasonal influenza. The answer is NO ! The CDC advises us to get vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

Getting vaccinated now with seasonal influenza vaccine will help protect you against the seasonal flu. Later this fall when vaccine for 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus becomes available (and you fall into one of the risk categories), you should get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. Health Care Providers will be vaccinating against both seasonal influenza and 2009 H1N1 throughout the fall and winter, so it’s best to get a head start! Get vaccinated with the seasonal flu shot now.

September 4, 2009

by: rferraro @ 2:49 pm

This information is provided by William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Andrew T. Kroger, MD, MPH, medical epidemiologists, at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases thru the Immunization Action Coalition.

Q: When will vaccine for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus be available?
A: CDC estimates that approximately 45 million doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine will be available in mid-October. CDC anticipates that approximately 20 million additional doses will be released in each subsequent week.

Q: Once a 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine becomes available, who will be targeted to receive the vaccine?
A: 1) pregnant women; (2) people who live with or provide care for infants younger than age 6 months (e.g., parents, siblings, day care providers); (3) healthcare and emergency medical services personnel; (4) children and young adults ages 6 months through 24 years; and (5) people ages 25 through 64 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

Q: Can both the seasonal and H1N1 influenza vaccines be given at the same visit?
A: In most cases. See the points below*.

*both the inactivated seasonal and the inactivated H1N1 influenza vaccines can be given at the same visit (using separate syringes and sites) or at any time before or after each other.

*Giving both the live attenuated seasonal and the live attenuated H1N1 influenza vaccines at the same visit is NOT recommended. If only live vaccines for both seasonal and H1N1 influenza are available, the doses of the two live vaccines should be separated by at least 4 weeks.

Adapted from www.immunize.org/express/issue821.asp on 9-02-2009 We thank the Immunization Action Coalition.

September 2, 2009

by: rferraro @ 11:57 am

The CDC is now referring to the Novel H1N1 Inflenza as the

“2009 H1N1 Infulenza Virus”

This pandemic flu virus has also been mistakenly referred to as the Swine Flu.

by: rferraro @ 11:53 am

From the CDC on 09/01/2009

It is important for a pregnant woman to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine as well as a seasonal influenza vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. Pregnant women who are otherwise healthy have been severely impacted by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (formerly called “novel H1N1 flu” or “swine flu”).
In comparison to the general population, a greater proportion of pregnant women infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus have been hospitalized. In addition, severe illness and death has occurred in pregnant women. Six percent of confirmed fatal 2009 H1N1 flu cases thus far have been in pregnant women while only about 1% of the general population is pregnant.
Hand washing, staying away from ill people, and other steps can help to protect pregnant women from influenza, vaccination is the single best way to protect against the flu.

Influenza vaccines have not been shown to cause harm to a pregnant women or her baby. The seasonal flu shot (injection) is proven as safe and already recommended for pregnant women. The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will be made using the same processes and facilities that are used to make seasonal influenza vaccines. (The nasal-spray flu vaccine, sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine, is not currently approved for use in pregnant women.)

To read the entire article ‘CLICK HERE’

August 26, 2009

by: rferraro @ 2:56 pm

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has recently published a report describing a “Plausible Scenario” with regards to the impact of H1N1 Influenza this fall. Although this report may be frightening, it is important to understand that the report is relating a worst case scenario. The council states that IT IS NOT A PREDICTION! To see this report ‘CLICK HERE’

I would suggest to you that to prevent this “Plausible Scenario” for becoming a fact in history, we should follow some very simple steps.

FIRST and FOREMOST -get vaccinated for both the seasonal and H1N1 Flu when available. This is the MOST effective defense available to us for preventing the spread of influenza.

Secondly – to follow some basic, common sense rules (I know, you’ve seen it here and other places many times, but they can’t be repeated enough).

-Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

-If you are sick STAY HOME! The CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick.

-When you cough or sneeze, use a tissue and throw it away. Barring that, cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than your hand.

-Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

-Wash your hands frequently, or use alcohol based sanitizers.

-Educate your children in the steps above, to help protect them.

-Get into the habit of disinfecting commonly touched surfaces in your home or at work.

by: rferraro @ 1:33 pm

Below are some excerpts from a guidance for businesses and employers released by the Federal Government.

The guidance, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is designed to help employers prepare now for the impact that seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza could have this fall and winter on their employees and operations.

“If employees are sick, they need to be encouraged to stay home. If people begin to experience flu-like symptoms at work, they should be sent home and possibly encouraged to seek medical treatment,’’ said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

-Employers’ plans should address such points as encouraging employees with flu-like symptoms or illness to stay home, operating with reduced staffing, and possibly having employees who are at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home.

-Employers should work with employees to develop and implement common sense measures to reduce the risk of spreading the flu. Encourage workers who are sick to stay home, encourage seasonal flu vaccination as well as H1N1 vaccination when that vaccine becomes available.

-Employers should try to make sick leave policies flexible for workers who may have to stay home with ill family members or if a child’s school is closed, the CDC says.

-Employers should consider offering vaccine against seasonal flu, and encourage employees to be vaccinated against seasonal and H1N1 flu, the guidance says.

-Employees who are at higher risk for flu complications might be allowed to work from home or stay home if the flu is severe, it says.

To read the entire new release ‘CLICK HERE’

In many instances The Hopkinton Drug can provide an on-site Flu Shot Clinic at your business or facility – call 508-435-4441 for details.

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