By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-10-11 18:18:21 | Word Count: 525
The New Mexico Department of Health and N.M. Influenza Vaccine Consortium are encouraging people to make an appointment with their health care provider to get their flu vaccine soon, a NMDOH spokesman said Wednesday.
DOH Public Information Officer Chris Minnick said NMDOH announced it started to ship seasonal flu vaccine to public health offices and the department's long-term care facilities across the state Wednesday.
[ advertisement ]
Minnick said NMDOH and NMIVC is encouraging people at high risk of developing influenza complications and children 6 months to 18 years old to make an appointment with their health care provider to get their flu vaccine soon.
He said the department has also begun shipping children's seasonal flue vaccine to private providers statewide.
Manufacturers typically send flu vaccine in several shipments, Minnick said.
Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil said the department expects to receive and ship children's vaccine throughout the fall and winter season.
"This year, people will need to be protected against seasonal influenza and H1N1 influenza," Dr. Vigil said. "It's very important that people get their flu vaccine as soon as its available."
He said influenza can be a very serious disease.
"Protecting yourself with flu vaccine is especially important if you are at high risk of developing influenza complications."
Minnick said the department's public health offices provide seasonal flu vaccine to people who are at high risk from serious illness or death or New Mexicans with no health insurance.
He said DOH ordered about 70,000 doses of adult flu vaccine.
Minnick said the department ordered 245,000 doses of children's flu vaccine, which includes 112,500 doses of FluMist, a nasal spray for children ages 2 to 18 years old.
He said the department is continuing its school vaccination program that it piloted in 2008.
Minnick said there are more than 100 schools participating statewide in the program with an estimated 60,000 school-age children receiving the vaccine.
He said people can avoid catching the flu or passing it on to others by frequently washing their hands, covering their mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing, and staying home when ill.
Minnick said many of the people at high risk from the flu should also get a pneumonia shot if they have never had one.
He said people who need to have the pneumococcal vaccine are: age 65 and older, and adults 19 and older who smoke or have chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular or lung disease, cirrhosis, chronic renal failure or are immunocompromised due to lymphoma, organ transplant, multiple myeloma or Hodgkin disease.
Author Resource:-
Quoting and Saving on your health insurance has never been easier...EasyToInsureME
EasyToInsureME offers clients the easiest way to buy individual health insurance. Free services include instant online health insurance quotes, custom proposals for each client, free phone consultations, and 10-minute application by phone. Nobody does what we do for our clients!
