• The first shipped pandemic flu (H1N1) vaccine may be nasal spray. That is not definite but likely.
• Nasal spray is appropriate for people aged 2-49.
• Nasal spray is not appropriate for the people in the highest risk categories for H1N1.
• Although this story does not say this, the more vaccinated people there are, the safer everyone is. If you, or your children, are in the 2-49 age group and have the nasal spray available, you will be helping yourself and others by getting yours. The brand is FluMist.
• There may be some shots available by the first week of October. If you are one of those in the high risk groups, call your doctor’s office to find out how you will know if you should come in to get one. Better to do it now instead of October. The first shipment will be, in relation to the number of people who need shots, tiny.

AP

“The first doses of swine flu vaccine may all be the nasal spray version, government health officials said Friday.

“The government has said a trickle of vaccine will be available in early October, but on Friday they defined the size of that trickle — an estimated 3.4 million doses.

“Currently it looks like all of them will be a nasal spray vaccine that is approved only for healthy people ages 2 to 49, said Dr. Jay Butler, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The nasal spray, called FluMist, is not recommended for some of the people most in danger of severe swine flu complications. That includes pregnant women, children younger than 2, and people with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.

“However, it’s possible that some vaccine shots will become available by the first week of October as well, said Butler, chief of the CDC’s swine flu vaccine task force.”

Source: Associated Press, September 18, 2009