This week has been declared the National Influenza Vaccination Week by the Centers for Disease Control and  Prevention.

To mark the week, area health departments are encouraging residents in the Greater Kansas City metro area to get shots for the H1N1 flu virus.

"The CDC estimates that H1N1 has contributed to or caused more than 10,000 deaths in the United States so far, and nearly 300 pediatric flu deaths have been confirmed," said Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Health Department. "Though we haven't been seeing the number of reported cases we were for a while, H1N1 is still in our community, and if you or your children haven't been vaccinated, you still may become infected."

According to Marsh, all health departments have does of the vaccine available.
The Wyandotte County Health Department is located at 619 Ann Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.

The Kansas City Star, via the Associated Press, is reporting that thousands of doses of the kids H1N1 flu vaccine have been recalled.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years.

Health officials recommend children those ages get two doses, spaced about a month apart.

The Unified Government's Public Health Department will expand vaccinations for the H1N1 vaccination to the general public.

In a news release, the UG still encourages "priority groups" to get the vaccinations first.

"The priority groups remain an area of emphasis for H1N1 vaccination," said Joe Connor, Director of the Health Department. "As the supply of vaccine continues to increase, it is important to satisfy the needs of all individuals who are actively seeking the H1N1 vaccinations."

The address – 6th and Ann Avenue – will be opened from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays. On Thursdays, it's opened from 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. and later on form 3–6:30 p.m.

For more information, contact (913) 573-6712.

The Public Health Department of the Unified Government will provide vaccinations of the H1N1 to priority groups.

The address – 6th and Ann Avenue – will be opened from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays. On Thursdays, it's opened from 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. and later on form 3–6:30 p.m.

"Over twenty-one thousand doses of H1N1 vaccine have been allocated and distributed throughout Wyandotte County to 34 different providers," said Joe Connor, Director of the Public Health Department.  "Residents who are not in the current priority groups to receive the vaccine are asked to please be patient until more vaccine is allocated and distributed to local providers later this month and next month, at which time the vaccine may then be available to the general public. In Wyandotte County we are currently partnering with thirty-four different providers to administer the H1N1 vaccine in the community."

Priority groups include pregnant women, healthcare and emergency personnel, children aged 6 months – 24 years old, those between 25-64 who have pre-exiting conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus and people who live or provide care for infants.

For more information. contact (913) 573-6712.

A very limited number of available doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine have been distributed in Wyandotte County.

Joe Connor, director the Unified Government's Public Health Department, informed members of the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education about the vaccine last night.

He said about 7,500 doses have been distributed to over 20 organizations in Wyandotte County. However, that's not enough, Connor said.

"There's over 58,000 chidren six months to 24 years in Wyandotte County," he said. "It's a small drop in the bucket. We're putting it out in as many community settings as possible."

Younger residents and those who work in any health or medical environment have been targeted with the vaccine.

Connor said about "two to three times" more fevers and flu-like related symptoms have been reported in Wyandotte County from this time last year.

NOTE: This column is from Jason Eberhart-Phllips (MD), a Kansas State Health Officer and Director of Health for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

This month marks the start of the largest vaccine deployment in history. As the first shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine are arriving in Kansas, it’s worth noting that a new chapter in humanity’s long struggle with influenza viruses has begun.
 
For the first time ever, people have come together to stop a flu pandemic dead in its tracks by taking away the one thing the virus needs to survive: susceptible human hosts.
 
As the vaccine induces ever-wider immunity in the population, it promises to bend down the curve of the current epidemic, leaving the H1N1 virus with no place to go.
 
With all the attention the vaccine is getting, many Kansans are asking good questions about it. Is the vaccine really necessary? Will it work to protect me or my children against illness? How do I know it is safe?
 
A majority of Kansans have indicated that they will likely obtain the vaccine. For now they need to be patient as we await larger supplies of the vaccine in coming weeks, and as we distribute available doses initially to target groups who are at especially high risk of complications from H1N1 flu infections.
 
Meanwhile, a vocal minority has already begun an active campaign against the vaccine. Many others remain undecided about it.