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RateCounty braces for flu outbreak
By Melanie Lekocevic
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Health care workers around the country are scrambling to get the vaccines ready to go in anticipation of a potential outbreak of swine flu, also known as H1N1.
In Greene County, the Public Health Department is preparing for a delivery of the vaccinations, and getting ready to inoculate every resident who wants one.
“H1N1 vaccine is being shipped to local county health departments throughout New York State. Greene County will follow the administration priority protocols as identified by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta,” Public Health Director Marie Ostoyich told the Greene County Legislature.
“We are working with county medical providers for distribution of the vaccine,” she continued.
The county’s public health department has been in conference calls with the New York State Department of Health continually about distribution of the vaccine, and when it is expected to be provided.
To prepare residents for the potential outbreak and let them know how they can access vaccinations, community information sessions will be presented later this month. One is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Catskill Middle School, and a second is planned for Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at Hunter-Tannersville High School.
Subsequent sessions are also expected at locations elsewhere in the county.
Although the county currently has very little of the vaccine, public health officials are waiting for delivery of enough medication to inoculate every Greene County resident. Once they are notified by the government of the vaccine’s delivery date, Greene County Public Health will schedule clinics around the county to administer it.
Certain populations are considered high risk for the swine flu, particularly health care workers, pregnant women or caretakers of an infant under six months of age, young people between six months and 24 years old, and those 25 to 64 with pre-existing medical conditions or chronic illnesses like heart failure, kidney failure, weakened immune systems, diabetes and compromised respiratory systems.
Oddly enough, people over 65 - usually those at the top of the high risk category for most other illnesses - are considered at a relatively low risk of acquiring H1N1, Ostoyich said.
“People 65 and over may have already been exposed to the swine flu in the 1970s when there was another outbreak, or may have been vaccinated against it at some point,” Ostoyich said.
While some have expressed concern about the safety of the vaccine, particularly for infants, Ostoyich said it is considered safe.
“We are hearing good things about the safety of the vaccine from the CDC,” she said.
Vaccines received through public health will be provided free of charge, but for residents who opt to go through a pharmacy or other health care provider, there may be an administration fee, which usually runs $25 to $30.
Legislator Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, expressed concern that the only community sessions scheduled are to take place in Catskill and on the mountaintop, and asked that similar events be planned for Cairo-Durham and other communities. Ostoyich said that was in the works, and that her department has been in contact with health care providers around the county.
In Greene County, the Public Health Department is preparing for a delivery of the vaccinations, and getting ready to inoculate every resident who wants one.
“H1N1 vaccine is being shipped to local county health departments throughout New York State. Greene County will follow the administration priority protocols as identified by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta,” Public Health Director Marie Ostoyich told the Greene County Legislature.
“We are working with county medical providers for distribution of the vaccine,” she continued.
The county’s public health department has been in conference calls with the New York State Department of Health continually about distribution of the vaccine, and when it is expected to be provided.
To prepare residents for the potential outbreak and let them know how they can access vaccinations, community information sessions will be presented later this month. One is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Catskill Middle School, and a second is planned for Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at Hunter-Tannersville High School.
Subsequent sessions are also expected at locations elsewhere in the county.
Although the county currently has very little of the vaccine, public health officials are waiting for delivery of enough medication to inoculate every Greene County resident. Once they are notified by the government of the vaccine’s delivery date, Greene County Public Health will schedule clinics around the county to administer it.
Certain populations are considered high risk for the swine flu, particularly health care workers, pregnant women or caretakers of an infant under six months of age, young people between six months and 24 years old, and those 25 to 64 with pre-existing medical conditions or chronic illnesses like heart failure, kidney failure, weakened immune systems, diabetes and compromised respiratory systems.
Oddly enough, people over 65 - usually those at the top of the high risk category for most other illnesses - are considered at a relatively low risk of acquiring H1N1, Ostoyich said.
“People 65 and over may have already been exposed to the swine flu in the 1970s when there was another outbreak, or may have been vaccinated against it at some point,” Ostoyich said.
While some have expressed concern about the safety of the vaccine, particularly for infants, Ostoyich said it is considered safe.
“We are hearing good things about the safety of the vaccine from the CDC,” she said.
Vaccines received through public health will be provided free of charge, but for residents who opt to go through a pharmacy or other health care provider, there may be an administration fee, which usually runs $25 to $30.
Legislator Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, expressed concern that the only community sessions scheduled are to take place in Catskill and on the mountaintop, and asked that similar events be planned for Cairo-Durham and other communities. Ostoyich said that was in the works, and that her department has been in contact with health care providers around the county.
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