We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We are thankful that the flu vaccine seems to be slowing down the spread of the H1N1 virus. We are also thankful for your continued patience and understanding in the office as we try and accommodate the added sick visits to the schedule.

ANNOUNCING: WE ARE HAVING THE LAST FLU CLINIC BEFORE THE NEW YEAR THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, FROM 7 AM UNTIL 10 AM, for children ages 6 months through 5 years of age. We know it’s a little early in the morning, but we are trying to get you in before the regular Saturday schedule begins in the office. We strongly encourage you to have your children vaccinated against the H1N1 and regular flu viruses. We saw cases of the flu all the way into June last spring. Please read the following:

1. We have a good supply of all vaccines, both for the regular flu and for the H1N1 flu. We do not expect to run out of vaccine at the clinic, but we can make no guarantees.

2. We are still encouraged by the health department to give children only the first dose of the H1N1 vaccine at this time. We can start giving the second dose after January 1, 2010. This is to assure that all children receive at least one dose of the vaccine before the new year. This Saturday will again be for those children who have not received the first dose of the H1N1 vaccine.

3. We will follow the same guidelines as before for children ages 6 months through 5 years of age. School age children will still be receiving the vaccine through their individual schools. Children who are 2 years and older who are otherwise healthy will be offered the intranasal H1N1 vaccine only. Children ages 6 months through 35 months will receive the injectable preservative free H1N1 vaccine if they do not qualify for the intranasal vaccine. Children ages 3-5 years old will be offered the injectable H1N1 vaccine (again if they do not qualify for the intranasal version). This vaccine does have a small amount of preservative in it and it is not considered a health risk.

4. No appointment is necessary, so please do not call our office regarding the clinic. The vaccine will be given on a first come first serve basis.

5. We encourage you to utilize the clinic, so that we have more scheduled time for sick visits during the week.

6. We have not yet had the green light from the health department to provide the H1N1 vaccine for those children who were unable to receive it in school.

The regular flu season has yet to come upon us. We do not have any indication how severe the regular flu will be. The H1N1 flu has been moderate in its severity. If your child has recently become ill, use common sense in initiating treatment. If it is a common cold or even the start of the flu, we will only tell you to do the obvious: treat the fever, increase fluids, rest, etc. We ask that unless there is a compelling reason for your child to be seen, to give it a few days first and see how your child does. We are trying to conserve appointment slots for the children who are most sick and in need of being seen. We do have to triage phone calls at times to accomplish this, so we ask for your patience and cooperation. As an office, Tamiflu is only prescribed for good reason. We do not give it to otherwise healthy children who have the flu with no other complications.

Thanks again for all your help.

LPA