STATE AND SHAWNEE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS TO CONDUCT
NEWS CONFERENCE AT TOPEKA FLU CLINIC

State and Shawnee County health officials will conduct a news conference Thursday, October 21, at 2 p.m. at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka. A flu clinic for priority groups will be held at this location from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Participants will be screened to determine if they are at high risk for getting the flu. Only high-risk individuals will be vaccinated. The charge is $20.00 per person.

During the news conference Shawnee County Health Officer, Dr. Larry Rumans , will discuss the flu clinic and the challenges the flu vaccine shortage brings to the local health department and other health care providers. Since the shortage, the clinic was modified from a mass immunizations exercise for the public to an exercise geared toward high-risk priority groups only.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Secretary Roderick L. Bremby , will address the actions the state has taken to assess the flu vaccine supplies in the state, and assist with redistribution of vaccine to areas where high demand remains.

Kansas Department on Aging Secretary Pamela Johnson-Betts , will address the importance of healthy individuals foregoing the vaccine so that the elderly and those with chronic illnesses have access to the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidelines for health care clinics to follow regarding high-risk individuals. These are the guidelines the Shawnee County Health Agency will follow.

Only the following individuals will be given a flu shot:

• People 65 years of age and older
• Children ages 6 months to 23 months
• Adults and children 2 years of age and older with chronic lung or heart disorders including heart disease and asthma
• Pregnant women
• Adults and children 2 years of age and older with chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes), kidney diseases, blood disorders (such as sickle cell anemia), or weakened immune systems, including persons with HIV/AIDS
• Children and teenagers, 6 months to 18 years of age, who take aspirin daily
• Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities
• Household members and out-of-home caregivers of infants under the age of 6 months (Children under the age of 6 months cannot be vaccinated.)
• Healthcare workers who provide direct, hands-on patient care with regular frequency to the priority group patients listed above

Other vaccination recommendations:

Healthy persons who are 5-49 and not pregnant, including healthcare workers (except those who care for severely immuno-compromised patients in special care units) and persons caring for children under 6 months should be encouraged to be vaccinated with intranasally administered live, attenuated influenza vaccine.

Vaccination of Persons in Non-Priority Groups:

Persons who are not included in one of the priority groups above should forego or defer vaccination.

Steps the public can take to avoid catching or spreading the flu :

• Proper hand washing with soap and warm water
• Stay home from school or work when sick
• Cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

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