The Garden City Telegram
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Health workers get first doses of vaccine
Published 10/14/2009 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
Health care workers in Garden City received the first round of H1N1 influenza vaccinations Tuesday at Garden Valley Church.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Finney County Health Department Charge Nurse Dana Manna distributes a nasal mist H1N1 flu vaccine to health care worker Tina Trujillo on Tuesday at Garden Valley Church.
About 10 Finney County Health Department employees helped vaccinate 184 health care workers from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Joe Hopkins, Western Pyramid regional coordinator who works with health departments in southwest Kansas, said those who work at St. Catherine Hospital, United Methodist Mexican-American Ministries, Sienna Medical Clinic, the Finney County Health Department and EMS, were eligible to receive the vaccination, along with others who work in the health care field.
Health care workers were the first priority group eligible to receive the vaccine for H1N1, also known as swine flu.
Tina Trujillo, who works as a nurse case manager at St. Catherine Hospital, said she's glad the health department is offering the vaccine for health care workers.
"We're working with the patients. It's very easy for us to spread it around," Trujillo said, adding that it not only protects the health care workers but it also helps protect the patients, as well.
Health care workers who received the vaccine filled out paperwork at several tables set up in the gymnasium at Garden Valley Church. There were both live, attenuated vaccinations and inactivated vaccinations available.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the inactivated vaccine contains a killed virus that is given with a needle. The shot is approved for use in people 6 months and older, including healthy people, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women.
The live attenuated influenza vaccine, made with live, weakened viruses that do not cause the flu, is given by a nasal spray. It can be given to healthy people ages 2 to 49 who are not pregnant.
Hopkins said it's the federal government's goal to vaccinate half of the population by the end of December.
The health department said the overall number of patients seen in western Kansas for influenza-like illness has increased to 13 percent of patients. Hopkins said since the state started keeping track of the percentage of patients with flu-like symptoms, that average has never been more than 5 percent at the peak of flu season.
"That's a pretty dramatic increase," Hopkins said.
Hopkins said as more vaccines become available, the health department likely will set up a more permanent location for people to receive the vaccinations. That will be announced in the future, said Hopkins and Ashley Goss, Finney County Health Department administrator.
Other than health care workers, priority groups to receive the vaccine include pregnant women, caregivers providing care for those younger than 6 months of age, all persons ages 6 months to 24 years old, and those with underlying medical conditions ages 25 to 64.
To help prevent the spread of the disease, the health department is recommending that people stay home if they are sick or are experiencing any of the following symptoms: a fever of more than 100 degrees, cough, sore throat, respiratory congestion, body aches and in some cases nausea or vomiting.
It's also recommended to use good hygiene procedures by washing hands with soap or water or use alcohol based solution if soap and water are not available.
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