Trenton, GA:  The first shipment of injectable H1N1 vaccine has arrived at the Dade County Health Department, according the Health Department Nurse Manager Tammy Franklin.  "This 600-dose shipment represents a small portion of the overall amount of vaccine we expect to receive over the next couple of months," says Franklin.   "We wish we had more right now and share the public's frustration with the delays in getting it to our community, but we expect there will eventually be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to receive it to do so."
 
The health department is now offering H1N1 flu shots on a walk-in basis for priority, high-risk individuals at the health department, 71 Case Avenue, Suite H-100, Trenton, GA, during the following hours:
 
Monday:  8 AM to 4 PM
Wednesday: 8 AM to 4 PM
Thursday: 8 AM to 5:30 PM
Friday:  8 AM to 1 PM
 
According to Franklin, priority individuals, as recommended by the CDC, are:
 
• pregnant women, care givers of infants less than 6 months of age, children and young adults aged 6 months to 24 years, persons aged 25 - 64 years who have medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease and immunosuppressive disorders,  that put them at risk and health care and emergency medical service workers. 
 
According to Franklin, the vaccine is free; however, clients are asked to please bring their private insurance, Medicare, Medicare supplement, PeachCare or Medicaid card as a small administration fee may be charged to their insurance.  "No client will be billed or expected to pay," Franklin stresses and adds "clients with no insurance will not be charged or expected to pay." 
 
"The H1N1 vaccine is manufactured in exactly the same way as our seasonal flu vaccines are made," says Franklin.  "We have a high degree of confidence in its safety.  We did not cut any corners in manufacturing or testing in terms of safety, nor will we cut any corners in oversight of the vaccine." 
 
As more H1N1 vaccine continues to become available, additional opportunities to receive it will be announced.  "This vaccination campaign will last for many weeks and months," Franklin says, and reiterates that "eventually we expect to have plenty of the H1N1 vaccine, enough so everyone who wants it can get it."
 
For more information about the Dade County Health Department's plans to administer H1N1 influenza vaccine or to inquire about vaccine availability, call the health department at 706-657-4213.  The Georgia Department of Community Health's Division of Public Health has established an H1N1 information hotline for the public: 
888 H1N1 INFO. The recorded messages are available 24/7, and access to a live specialist is available from 8 AM to midnight 7 days a week.  Recorded information included on the hotlines: general information about influenza like illness, H1N1 testing criteria and instructions and H1N1 vaccine information. 
 
For more information about H1N1 influenza, visit:
• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: www.flu.gov
• Department of Community Health: www.health.state.ga.us/h1n1flu
• Northwest Georgia Public Health: www.nwgapublichealth.org/