Lake County Offering H1N1 Shots for Students, Pregnant Women November 18

The Lake County Planning Pandemic Committee (didn't know we had one, did you?) has sent out the following announcement of activation of its "mass prophylaxis plan" (didn't know we had that, either!). In a nutshell, pregnant women, babies, toddlers, and children with other ailments get first dibs; everyone else under 24 gets in next.

October 27, 2009

Dear Parent/Student:

Children and young adults are one of the primary groups affected by the H1N1 virus. Because of this, if adequate supplies are available, the H1N1 vaccine will be offered to all children/young adults 6 months through 24 years of age at a local community clinic.

The Lake County Pandemic Planning Committee will be exercising its mass prophylaxis plan by offering free H1N1 vaccine to the following individuals (if adequate vaccine): Tier 1: Pregnant women, Contacts of infants under 6 months of age, children 6 months to 4 years, and children 5-18 years with a chronic health condition AND Tier 2: Healthy Children age 5-18 years and young adults 19-24 years. If there are vaccine limitations the 1st Tier groups will take priority.

The community based H1N1 Clinic will be at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison, on November 18th, 2009 from 1PM-8PM. Parents/guardians are to come to the clinic to be with their child when the vaccine is administered. There will be no charge for the vaccine.

Due to the uncertainty of vaccine availability, an alternative date of December 2nd, 2009 from 1PM-8PM, has been chosen, in case the clinic needs to be rescheduled.

This exercise will allow our community the opportunity to test/exercise the Madison Area POD Plan. The POD (Points of Dispensing) Plan is a coordinated effort among several agencies and community members to dispense and distribute medication or vaccine to a regional population in an efficient/effective manner.

The attached Vaccine Information Statement can be read and the Influenza Vaccination Record Consent can be completed by parents/guardians prior to arriving to save some time at the clinic.

If you have questions about the vaccine or the scheduled clinic, please contact the South Dakota Department of Health Community Health Services Office in Lake County at 605-256-5309 or Miner County at 605-772-5381.

We hope that you will take an active part in protecting the health of yourself and/or child!

Lake County Pandemic Planning Committee

See the original letter (.doc) here; get a copy of the consent form (PDF) here.