Illinois to get A/H1N1 flu shots 2009

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Illinois to get A/H1N1 flu shots 2009

Doses of anti-flu vaccine are prepared on September 14, 2009 at the Clermont-Ferrand hospital, central France. The United States, France and Britain are among nine countries that pledged Thursday to make 10 percent of their swine flu vaccine supply available to other nations that may need it.

The U.S. state of Illinois will initially deliver nearly two million individual doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccines by mid-October, the Illinois Department of Public Health said on Thursday.

The department said in a press release that 1.5 million doses in the first shipment will go to 2,783 health provider sites outside Chicago. Slightly less than 500,000 doses will go to 1,045sites in Chicago.

Those provider sites have each signed agreements with federal health authorities that they will only vaccinate individuals in high-priority categories, including pregnant women, care givers to infants younger than 6 months old, children and young people from 6 months to 24 years old, health-care workers, and 25 to 64-year-olds with serious underlying health problems.

"Some schools may hold mass vaccinations, but that is a decision to be determined by school districts in conjunction with local health departments," said the department.

After those at-risk segments of the population are immunized, the remainder of the general population will be allowed to receive the vaccine, which is being made by four manufacturers who are gearing up to produce 20 million H1N1 vaccine doses a week for as long as necessary, said Melaney Arnold, the spokeswoman of the department.

The U.S. federal government is paying for the vaccines, but some providers, such as doctors, private clinics, hospitals and drugstores may charge a fee for delivering the shot.

State officials urged the public to keep abreast of the progress of the flu season and get accurate information about the flu and efforts to contain it by connecting to government website.