H1N1 Vaccine Update from Greece
Dear NUin Greece Parents,
Please see the email below that was recently sent to your students from myself and the ACT Doctor regarding the H1N1 vaccine in Greece. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Leighanne
Hi everyone,
Please carefully read the important information below regarding vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus in Greece. This information is from Doctor Katerina. If you have any questions, please ask me immediately. I will need to have a list of students by tomorrow Thursday, November 5th at 5pm who fall into the “high risk/first priority” category as outlined by the doctor below. I’m guessing those folks from our group that fall into this high risk/first priority category are those with asthma. Please speak with your parents immediately, if you haven’t already, to determine whether you would like to get the vaccine in this round.
Leighanne
EMAIL FROM DOCTOR KATERINA
New flu vaccines will start to be given to first priority individuals on November 10-25. This first group will include health care personnel and people in high-risk groups, listed below.
First priority individuals include:
- parents of very young children
- women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy
- young people with:
- lung disease, mainly asthma, or recent bronchitis or pneumonia
- heart disease
- compromised immune system due to chronic conditions and/or medication
- diabetes
- obesity may be factored in as a risk factor but not given priority
For those not belonging to any of the above groups, but still interested in being vaccinated, there will be a second round by early-mid December. Priority group then will be healthy individuals between the ages of 15 and 40.
For all practical purposes, as most of you fall under the 2nd category, you may have to spend the gist of this semester relying basically on your own immune system. This is not terribly problematic, since (regular) flu outbreaks in Greece typically don’t occur before January or February, which means that actually this is a low-risk season. Also, you may have heard that the numbers and severity of new flu cases in Greece have so far been (fortunately) quite low. In case, however, any of you feel you might benefit from some extra protection, the regular flu vaccine available at all pharmacies for 5 euro provides partial immunization for the new strand also.