MT. CLEMENS, Mich., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Pregnant women, their families and health care workers are being targeted by the Macomb County Health Department for its next two H1N1 vaccine clinics, department officials announced today. All are being offered at no charge.

Two clinics, limited to these high-priority groups, will be held at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights. The clinic for pregnant women and eligible members of their households, will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17 from noon to 7 p.m. The thimerosol-free version of the injectable vaccine will be available for these women. Pregnant women cannot be given the nasal spray version of the vaccine.

Persons accompanying the pregnant woman to this clinic are also eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine if they are living in her household and fall into one of the following groups:

-- Age 6 months through 24 years of age

-- Age 25 through 64 with a chronic medical condition

-- Health care worker or EMS provider

-- If there is already an infant under 6 months of age in the household

Health care workers and health care volunteers will be addressed in a clinic on Thursday, Nov. 19, also from noon to 7 p.m. The county is defining health care workers as persons working in health care settings who have the potential for exposure to patients with influenza. This includes settings such as hospitals, nursing facilities, physicians' offices, outpatient clinics, dental offices and home health care.

Categories of workers include physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, physician assistants, medical assistants, therapists, technicians, emergency medical service personnel, dental personnel, pharmacists, laboratory personnel, autopsy personnel, students and trainees. Persons not directly involved in patient care, but potentially exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted to and from health care workers, may also attend this clinic. Included are clerical, dietary, housekeeping and maintenance staff as well as hospital volunteers.

In addition to these clinics offered by the health department, approximately 45,000 doses of injectable and nasal spray vaccine have been shipped to physician offices and hospitals across Macomb County. Pediatricians and OB/GYNs are two primary groups that have requested vaccine supply through the H1N1 vaccine enrollment process. "Call your doctor to see if he or she is offering the vaccine to patients in the office setting," said Steve Gold, Macomb County Health Department deputy health officer.

Through its six clinics to date held at Freedom Hill, more than 17,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine have administered through the Macomb County Health Department. For additional information about the H1N1 flu, visit the health department's Web site at www.macombcountymi.gov/publichealth or call its flu hot line at 586.466.7923.

Editor's note:

Other clinics already scheduled and announced via news release

Previously announced Macomb County H1N1 clinics include:

--Communitywide clinics, Saturdays Nov. 14 and 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Freedom Hill.

Due to limited availability of vaccine, the Macomb County Health Department is serving only those in the following high-risk groups at this time through the Saturday clinics:

INJECTABLE VACCINE

• Pregnant women
• New parents and household contacts of children less than 6 months of age
• Healthy children and young adults 6 months through 24 years of age
• Health care and emergency medical services workers (regardless of age)
• Adults ages 25 to 64 years of age with high-risk medical conditions that increase risk of complications from influenza
  

NASAL VACCINE

Healthy, nonpregnant persons who:

• Are from 2 through 24 years of age
• Are from 25 through 49 years of age and live with or care for infants younger than 6 months of age
• Are health care or emergency medical services workers and are from 25 through 49 years of age
  

Children under 10 years old need two doses of vaccine to receive adequate immunity. These children need to wait at least 28 days before receiving the second dose.

SOURCE Macomb County Health Department

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.macombcountymi.gov/publichealth