miércoles, 7 de octubre de 2009

CDC H1N1 Flu | H1N1 Clinicians General Questions and Answers


H1N1 Clinicians Questions and Answers
October 6, 2009, 6:30 PM ET

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.

What should a 2009 H1N1 vaccination provider do if there are people requesting 2009 H1N1 vaccine who are not in the initial target groups?
The ACIP recommendations on 2009 H1N1 vaccination are not intended to deny 2009 H1N1 vaccine to anyone who wishes to be vaccinated. The U.S. government has purchased enough 2009 H1N1 vaccine for all those who choose to get vaccinated. The challenge, especially during the first few weeks of the vaccination program, is to try to provide vaccine to people in the highest risk groups, while vaccine supply may not be adequate to meet total demand. Many state and local health departments have prioritized vaccine orders so that providers who serve mainly people in high risk groups may get vaccine first. However, in any given location, the availability of -- and demand for -- vaccine may vary. Some providers may have enough doses of vaccine right away to meet their patient demand without turning anyone away. In other cases, this may not be true. If a provider does not have sufficient vaccine to meet demand and people who are not in the initial target groups are requesting vaccination, the provider may wish to explain their local plan and rationale for vaccination among the initial target groups and ask others to wait to get vaccinated later. However, until local supply of, and demand for, 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine balance out, the decision regarding who should get vaccinated is one that should be made between the provider and the patient, weighing whether there are enough doses available for those at greatest risk for infection and serious complications as well as the likelihood that patients turned away will come back for vaccine at a later date.

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CDC H1N1 Flu | H1N1 Clinicians General Questions and Answers

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