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Over 1K flu shots given to high-risk individuals
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Posted on Nov 30 2005
Over 1,000 influenza shots have been given to certain individuals who are considered prone to acquire the disease since the Department of Public Health announced the campaign in late October.
Public Health medical director Richard Brostrom disclosed this development, adding that some 1,000 doses more of the flu vaccine would be arriving soon in the CNMI.
The flu shots campaign forms part of the Public Health Department’s goal of reducing the risk of individuals to influenza, a disease that claims approximately 36,000 lives in the United States annually, based on statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The department targets high-risk individuals to take the shots, even as Brostrom disclosed that flu cases in the CNMI has been dropping.
The CDC considers flu as a “serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs.” The CDC said flu could make one sick for a week or longer with coughing, fever, and aching, and it could lead to pneumonia.
Citing CDC guidelines, the department said high-risk patients include all adults with ages 65 and over; people whose ages range from six months to 64 years old, who have underlying chronic medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, severe asthma and cancer; and pregnant women.
Additionally, the CDC considers children under 2 years old as high-risk individuals; the CDC said those children have one of the highest rates of hospitalizations due to flu complications. The CDC also advised that people who live with or take care of those with flu should get vaccinated.
Since October, the DPH has advised high-risk individuals to take flu shots in public and private health clinics.
The department has disclosed the venues for the flu shots project, with their respective contact information:
* Southern Wellness Center,
664-4850/1
* Northern Wellness Center,
664-4855/7
* Children’s Clinic,
234-8374
* Saipan Health Clinic,
234-2901
* Tinian Health Center,
433-9333
* Rota Health Center,
532-9408
Brostrom said flu shots are free for children, while adults are usually charged a minimal fee.
