By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-10-23 13:01:42 | Word Count: 790
Emory received a limited supply of the H1N1 vaccine last week and will administer it to priority groups such as pregnant women and those with chronic medical conditions this week, according to Executive Director of Student Health Services Michael Huey.
The federal government made the vaccine available in early October, and Emory University and Emory Healthcare applied to be a distribution site.
Both were approved by the Georgia Division of Public Health to administer the H1N1 vaccine.
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Huey said the first batch of vaccinations is only a fraction of the amount the University will need to immunize against the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.
The University will receive more doses of the vaccine as the federal government continues to manufacture it, Huey said.
“We are hopeful this is a short timeline, but we have to be realistic in expecting it will take time for the vaccine to be manufactured in high enough quantities to be available for young adults without chronic illnesses,” Huey said. “We are anxious for it to become increasingly available.”
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said those at high risk for serious medical complications should be vaccinated first.
People who fall in this category include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, health-care and emergency medical services personnel who engage in direct patient contact, children six months to four years of age and children five years to 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions, according to a Universitywide e-mail sent out by Alexander Isakov, executive director of Critical Event Preparedness and Response.
Huey said the University will wait for further recommendations from the CDC and more shipments of the vaccination before making the vaccine available to all students and faculty.
This week, the vaccine will be administered to priority group members in clinics set up in the Dobbs University Center (DUC).
Emory students under the age of 17, however, will be vaccinated at Student Health Services because their health consent forms are located there, Huey said.
The shots are free to Emory students insured by the Emory Student Health Insurance Plan who show their EmoryCard and Aetna Student Health Insurance card and for Emory employees who work 20 or more hours a week and present their Emory faculty or staff identification card and personal health insurance card.
The vaccine administration fee is $10 for Emory students, faculty and staff that do not fall in the above categories.
Huey said Emory will not vaccinate young children, although they do fall in the priority groups outlined by the CDC.
Young children can be vaccinated at other locations such as health-care provider offices, schools and pharmacies, according to the CDC’s website.
According to Heather Zesiger, director of health education and promotion for Student Health Services, the vaccine will help slow the spread of the H1N1 virus on campus.
“By vaccinating the priority groups first, hopefully we will be able to prevent serious cases among those who are most vulnerable,” Zesiger said. “If it becomes available for everyone, and if as many students, staff and faculty get vaccinated as possible, then we can greatly reduce the spread of the illness.”
The H1N1 outbreak, which began in April 2009, will continue to spread at Emory for several more weeks, Zesiger said.
Student Health Services can not test directly for the H1N1 virus, but has been able to test for Influenza A and thus detect presumptive cases of the virus.
Those thought to have the H1N1 virus are encouraged to self-isolate in Turman South Residence Hall, where those affected have stayed this fall, until their fevers subside for 24 hours.
The CDC stated on its website that those with the virus should stay home and avoid contact with other people, except to get medical care.
Huey emphasized that Emory’s H1N1 vaccination program is voluntary, but because there have been more than 500 presumptive cases of H1N1 on campus thus far this semester, he encourages students, faculty and staff to get the H1N1 vaccination, in addition to the seasonal flu shot.
“You’ll wish you were vaccinated, whether it is for the seasonal flu or the H1N1 virus,” Huey said.
