County sees H1N1 death

Jackson County Health Department confirmed the community’s first death as a result of the H1N1 flu.

The 52-year-old Jackson County woman also had chronic health problems, Dr. Kenneth Bobb said Monday morning.

“The cause of death was a pneumonia complicating H1N1 influenza,” Bobb said. “H1N1 influence was confirmed by the State Department of Health laboratory.”

The woman died Oct. 15. Bobb, the county health officer, said the health department was not releasing additional demographic or personal information at the request of the woman’s family.

Bobb said the death points out the need for residents to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu when the vaccine becomes available.

“The community need not panic because of this information,” Bobb said. “We should exercise all of the precautions we can to prevent the flu, such as washing your hands, covering your coughs and sneezes and staying home when you’re sick, the things we’ve been asking people to do all along.”

Jackson County Health Department has offered five clinics to targeted groups such as pregnant women and younger children and people with chronic health problems. It will expand its reach this month with a series of eight clinics scheduled this month, the first of which is set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at its office, 801 W. Second St. in Seymour.

A ninth may be added, public health coordinator Lin Montgomery said Monday.

“I’d recommend as many people receive the vaccine as possible when it’s available,” Bobb said.

He’s taken it and recommended that his family do the same.

Judy Tape of Schneck Medical Center said 38 doctors in the area took the vaccine when it was offered to the medical staff as one of the targeted groups for the early dosages. Bobb pointed out he makes 39 doctors in the community who have taken the vaccine.

Some people have been reluctant to receive the H1N1 vaccine out of concern it may have been rushed into production and because of problems with a vaccine manufactured to fight the swine flu in the mid-1970s.

Bobb said he understands people raising such questions but said he still recommends the vaccine.

“The vaccines produced today are much safer than those produced in years gone by,” Bobb said. “The same methodology used to produce the vaccine for the seasonal flu is the methodology used in producing the H1N1 vaccine,” Bobb said.

He said he is confident the supply of the vaccine will eventually catch up with demand, although he said estimates over the weekend that supply could reach demand by the end of this week is likely optimistic.

“We’ve distributed 1,200 doses and have 940 on hand,” Bobb said of the H1N1 vaccine.

Should you line up for the vaccine at one of this month’s clinics if you think you’ve already had H1N1?

Probably so, Bobb said.

“We’re assuming that all the flu-like illnesses we’re seeing in patients are H1N1, but we don’t know that and probably all are not,” Bobb said. “So it would be good to take the vaccine anyway. It’s not going to harm you if you’ve had the flu already.”

Those 1,200 doses of distributed vaccine were administered at health department clinics and through five health department service providers: Schneck Medical Center, Community Health Center, Jackson Park Physicians, Fish & Perry medical office and Brownstown Family Medicine.

“We’ve been working hard to distribute the vaccine as we’ve received it, making sure that it goes out to the targeted people as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Bobb said.

The November flu clinics are for otherwise healthy Jackson County youth between the ages of 4 and 24 and their immediate family members, defined as legal guardians and siblings, Montgomery said.

Youth must be accompanied by their caregivers or, in the case of youth ages 16 to 18, must have a signed consent form if not accompanied by their legal guardian, she said.

Consent forms may be obtained at the health department or at high school offices.

All clinics will open and close at stated times, and all will be on a walk-in basis.

Flu clinic schedule

Nov. 5: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nov. 7: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nov. 9: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nov. 12: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nov. 14: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nov. 17: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., to administer the recommended second dose to those children who were initially inoculated at the clinic staged Oct. 20. The CDC recommends a second dose for children younger than the age of 10. All other children between the ages of 2 to 4 may also attend.

Nov. 19: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nov. 21: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.