NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Secretary Alfredo Vigil, MD

 

For Immediate Release                                                                                Contact: Chris Minnick

Sept. 9, 2009                                                                                                     Office: 575-528-5197

Mobile: 575-649-0754 

                                              

Department of Health Announces Guidelines for First Phase of Providing H1N1 Vaccine

Revised Guidelines will Target People Most at Risk for Serious Complications

 

(Las Cruces) – The New Mexico Department of Health announced today revised guidelines for priority groups that should receive the first doses of vaccine to protect against H1N1 influenza. The priority groups have been refined for first phase of vaccinations because New Mexico will receive the vaccine in stages and will concentrate on the people most at risk for serious illness from H1N1 influenza. The revised guidelines are based on recommendations from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. 

 

The first group the Department of Health is advising to get vaccinated are pregnant women, household members/caretakers of infants less than 6 months old, children 6 to59 months of age, children 5 to18 years with certain chronic health conditions that increase their risk of complications from flu, and healthcare workers and emergency medical service personnel with direct patient care.

 

“We will focus our efforts first on these priority groups because they are most at risk of serious complications from H1N1 influenza or spreading the disease to others at risk,” said Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil, MD.  “We are working with providers across the state to make sure we can start giving the vaccine as soon as we get the first shipment.  It is also important to remember that people need to also protect themselves against seasonal influenza by getting a flu shot.”  

 

The New Mexico Department of Health estimates it will receive 300,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine in the first phase of vaccine shipments, enough to protect 150,000 people if two doses of vaccine are required.  It is anticipated that most people will need two doses of vaccine.  The Department of Health expects to receive vaccine for 30,000 to 60,000 people each week after the first shipment and estimates New Mexico will receive enough vaccine for 650,000 people by the end of December.   

 

The Department of Health is planning for vaccination clinics and will make vaccine available to healthcare providers throughout the state to assist in vaccination efforts. The Department of Health is notifying healthcare providers around the state of the first priority groups that should be vaccinated.  The CDC expects to begin shipping vaccines as early as mid-October.

 

After the demand has been met in the first priority group, vaccinations will be provided to other people in the original priority groups.  The complete priority group the Department of Health is advising to get the H1N1 vaccination is:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old
• Children and young adults age 6 months through 24 years
• Healthcare workers and emergency medical services personnel
• People age 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

 

The Department is carefully monitoring H1N1 disease in New Mexico and will inform the public of new developments with the spread of disease, availability of vaccine and health officials’ recommendations.

 

For more information about H1N1 influenza, go online to http://nmhealth.org/H1N1/index.shtml.