Mass vaccinations may not be enough to prevent third wave of H1N1
Posted Dec 21, 2009 06:58:53 AM.
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The Capital District Health Authority says it feels better prepared for a third wave of H1N1.
The medical officer of health for Metro says the mass immunization program doesn’t guarantee there won’t be another wave of the virus.
Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed says the district has done well to distribute enough vaccine to immunize 71 percent of the population.
She says she’s not sure if we’ve reached a point where we’ve vaccinated enough people to prevent a third wave.
“I hope so but it’s too early to tell,” said Watson-Creed. “The issue with that is at a minimum we want 50 percent of the population vaccinated to prevent that, ideally it would be around 70 or 75 percent so we may still have a ways to go.”
Watson-Creed says they’ll continue to watch emergency rooms and family doctor’s offices to see what kind of activity is out there.
She’s concerned wave three might be a combination of seasonal flu and H1N1.
She says they’ll look at the populations they’ve immunized, and focus any future public clinics on those populations should they need to be reactivated.
