Coles County will see its first round of H1N1 vaccines soon, likely this week, said Cathie Reynolds, director of nursing at the Coles County Health Department.

“We had a teleconference (Tuesday) with the Illinois Department of Public Health, and we found out that they’re in the process of sending out the vaccine,” Reynolds said. “We should be getting some soon.”

The state public health department announced Oct. 7 that they expected to receive an initial shipment of 57,000 doses of the nasal spray vaccination, expected to arrive within the week. Illinois’ share excludes Chicago; the city will receive a separate allotment.

Eastern’s Health Services, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center and the health department have all placed orders for the vaccine. Different plans are ready to be implemented as soon as the number of vaccines Coles County will receive is determined.

“How much we get in the first shipment will decide our course of action,” Reynolds said. “Regardless of how many we receive, it will be prioritized.”

The Centers for Disease Control has determined priority groups and instructed states to vaccinate these groups first. The groups are pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers of infants under six months, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, all persons between ages six months and 24 years and persons 25-64 years of age with health conditions giving them a higher risk of health complications from influenza.

“Those individuals are at high risk,” Reynolds said. “The older adult population has been determined to be less at risk by the Centers for Disease Control because about 30 percent have some immunity.”

The vaccines will be shipped directly to health care providers from the manufacturer. They will continue to be shipped as supplies become available.

“It’s not something we’ll get in a lump sum,” Reynolds said. “It will be a continuous flow.”

There have been seven confirmed cases of H1N1 in Coles County since May.

“There are always rumors that abound, but it’s important to understand that the only people who have confirmed testing are those who’ve been hospitalized,” Reynolds said. “Anyone that has flu-like symptoms needs to stay home to prevent contaminating others.”

The illness remains a hot topic in health care.

“Every other person that comes in asks about H1N1,” Reynolds said. “The main thing we’re telling people is to practices the 3 C’s – clean, cover and contain. It’s the key to controlling any communicable disease.”

The nasal spray form of the vaccine is only recommended for people ages 2 to 49 without other medical conditions, including pregnancy. The shot version will be available in the next week. The CDC has approved this version for all persons without contraindications, which is anything that increases risks involved in a particular drug, medical procedure or activity.

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or at seruholl2@eiu.edu.