The UW-Green Bay Counseling and Health Center has been approved as an H1N1 vaccination site, and the vaccine has been ordered. However, the state has recently redefined the criteria regarding who is eligible to receive the first supply of the vaccine. The original criteria stated anyone six months to 24 years of age is eligible for the vaccine. Due to changes made by the state in response to a slow-down in vaccine production nationwide, only the following people are eligible for the vaccine as soon as it is available: health and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material, pregnant women, persons who live with or provide care for infants age six months or younger, children age six months through four years, and children and adolescents age five to 18 years who have medical conditions-asthma, diabetes, etc.-that place them at higher risk of complications. The federal government continues to assure the public, once vaccine production delays are resolved, the vaccine will be available to all who wish to have it. The vaccine was expected to arrive at vaccination destinations by mid-November, however, the supply is coming slower than anticipated. The UWGB Counseling and Health Center initially ordered 300 doses of the vaccine and can reorder each week. "This vaccine has gone through all the steps to ensure that it is safe," said Amy Henniges, director of the Counseling and Health Center. "No shortcuts have been taken." Clinical trials have also shown the FDA-licensed H1N1 vaccine is both safe and effective.
The National Institutes of Health and vaccine manufacturers have conducted more rigorous tests on this vaccine than they do on other vaccines, and report there have been no red flags from these trials. Classic symptoms of H1N1 include a fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit accompanied by a cough or sore throat. "Anyone contracting the H1N1 flu should stay out of circulation until their fever has been gone for 24 hours, without the need for taking fever reducing medication," Henniges said. The Dean of Students office, if contacted, is willing to send out standardized E-mails to professors for any student experiencing flu-like symptoms.
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