Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/101409dnmetflushots.217019902.html
Many Dallas County doctors won't get swine flu vaccine
11:26 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2009
By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News
jweiss@dallasnews.com
If you are expecting to go to your personal doctor for the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine when it gets here, you may well be disappointed.
Many doctors in Dallas County have not registered to get the vaccine, which is being distributed through a different system than the seasonal flu vaccine. Providers who want to get the H1N1 vaccine must sign up through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a program that is administered by each state health department.
About 1,100 providers in Dallas County have registered. The county has more than 7,000 physicians. Many of those doctors work in group practices and at least some of the 1,100 providers include pharmacies and hospitals. But the bottom line is that many doctors have chosen not to register so far.
The Dallas County Health Department would be the vaccinator of last resort. But Dallas County medical director Dr. John Carlo said he believes that people will be able to get the vaccine from private sources. While the department has contingency plans for mass immunization clinics, those plans remain shelved.
?You might not find it at your first place you are used to looking,? he said. ?You might start first at the drug stores or through your employer.?
That?s not the best system, Dr. Carlo said. Ideally, patients should be able to confer with their regular doctors to determine if getting the vaccine is a good idea.
The CDC says that pregnant women are among the people at highest risk for a serious case of H1N1. A spot check of a dozen OB/GYN offices in the Dallas area turned up eight who said they were waiting for the vaccine and four who said they were not planning to provide it.
So far, the problem is more theoretical than practical. As yet, only 700 doses of swine flu vaccine have been delivered to Dallas County. The CDC says millions of doses are in the pipeline, but the supply is not likely to be plentiful for several weeks.
By that time, the interest in getting the vaccine may have waned, Dr. Carlo said. If H1N1 follows the pattern of most other flu viruses, we may be at the peak of the infection. And if most people follow their annual pattern of getting flu vaccinations, providers may end up with more doses than they can use.
?At the end of the year, every year, we throw away millions of doses of flu vaccine,? he said of the national immunization effort. ?I wouldn?t be surprised if we throw away H1N1.?
Many Dallas County doctors won't get swine flu vaccine
11:26 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2009
By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News
jweiss@dallasnews.com
If you are expecting to go to your personal doctor for the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine when it gets here, you may well be disappointed.
Many doctors in Dallas County have not registered to get the vaccine, which is being distributed through a different system than the seasonal flu vaccine. Providers who want to get the H1N1 vaccine must sign up through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a program that is administered by each state health department.
About 1,100 providers in Dallas County have registered. The county has more than 7,000 physicians. Many of those doctors work in group practices and at least some of the 1,100 providers include pharmacies and hospitals. But the bottom line is that many doctors have chosen not to register so far.
The Dallas County Health Department would be the vaccinator of last resort. But Dallas County medical director Dr. John Carlo said he believes that people will be able to get the vaccine from private sources. While the department has contingency plans for mass immunization clinics, those plans remain shelved.
?You might not find it at your first place you are used to looking,? he said. ?You might start first at the drug stores or through your employer.?
That?s not the best system, Dr. Carlo said. Ideally, patients should be able to confer with their regular doctors to determine if getting the vaccine is a good idea.
The CDC says that pregnant women are among the people at highest risk for a serious case of H1N1. A spot check of a dozen OB/GYN offices in the Dallas area turned up eight who said they were waiting for the vaccine and four who said they were not planning to provide it.
So far, the problem is more theoretical than practical. As yet, only 700 doses of swine flu vaccine have been delivered to Dallas County. The CDC says millions of doses are in the pipeline, but the supply is not likely to be plentiful for several weeks.
By that time, the interest in getting the vaccine may have waned, Dr. Carlo said. If H1N1 follows the pattern of most other flu viruses, we may be at the peak of the infection. And if most people follow their annual pattern of getting flu vaccinations, providers may end up with more doses than they can use.
?At the end of the year, every year, we throw away millions of doses of flu vaccine,? he said of the national immunization effort. ?I wouldn?t be surprised if we throw away H1N1.?