FAQs from the Oregon Public Health Hotline, 1-800-978-3040

Q. When will H1N1 flu season end? When do we no longer need to bother getting vaccinated?

A. Seasonal flu usually comes in around December and peaks in February. We don't know how long pandemic H1N1 will hang around. We'll be monitoring for signs that it's decreased, but until further notice, if your health care provider recommends that you get the vaccine, you should get it.

Q. Is it OK to take aspirin, ibuprofen, Tylenol or other over-the-counter pain relievers after receiving an H1N1 vaccine?

A. It's important to be careful with aspirin in this setting -- be sure to avoid using it in kids 18 years old or younger. Tylenol and ibuprofen are safe to use.

Q. How many people need to be sick for it to be considered an outbreak?

A. Normally, at least three people from different households getting sick constitutes an outbreak.

Q. Where can pharmacies and providers get more seasonal flu vaccines?

A. Pharmacies get flu vaccines through their normal distribution channels -- Oregon Public Health is not involved in ordering seasonal vaccine.

Q. How can someone get a vaccine if they are allergic to eggs?

A. People can be tested to see if they have a serious anaphylactic reaction (hives, respiratory distress) to eggs, and if necessary they can undergo a desensitization protocol to get the vaccine. Typically, however, this is not recommended, since they would probably need to do this every year and there is prophylactic medication available if they are exposed (and are in a high-risk category).

Q. Are people living with high-risk people considered high risk?

A. No, with the exception of caretakers of children under 6 months, since kids under 6 months are too young to be vaccinated. Other high-risk patients (i.e. people with chronic heart or lung disease) can be vaccinated, so their household contacts are not considered high risk.

Q. What are the components of the H1N1 vaccine? Is there latex?

A. The vaccine contains egg, but no latex.

Q. Does a newborn who will reach 6 months of age later in the flu season need to get an H1N1 vaccine on that 6-month day?

A. Yes, as soon as possible.

Q. Should kids who got the flu, but aren't sure of what strain, still get an H1N1 vaccination?

A. Yes. Unless they have very good documentation that they had a specimen obtained and it was found to be H1N1, they should get the H1N1 vaccination. There are no side effects from getting the vaccine if they’ve already had H1N1.

Q. Is there a line and/or email contact for those who want to complain about vaccine provider conduct?

A. Each provider probably has its own customer service policy, and the complainant would need to go through that process first. If the complainant is still not satisfied, he or she can call the local county health department, which is responsible for allocating vaccine to the provider.

Q. Can both seasonal and H1N1 vaccines be given at the same time?

A. Yes, provided that both are not nasal (because the nasal spray is a live vaccine). It’s possible to get both vaccines at the same time if one or both are injectable. But we can’t give two live vaccines (nasal vaccines) at the same time.

Q. How long should a person wait between the seasonal nasal vaccine and the H1N1 nasal vaccine?

A. At least four weeks.

Q. Who will need to get two H1N1 vaccinations? How far apart?

A. Kids from 6 months to 9 years old, and the vaccinations should be four weeks apart.

Q. How sick is too sick to get a flu shot?

A. People with moderate to severe illness and fever over 100 degrees (37.7 degrees Celsius) should wait until fever has subsided before being vaccinated. 

Minor illness with or without fever should not be considered an obstacle to vaccination, particularly among children with mild upper respiratory tract infection or runny nose. 

Vaccine should not be given to anyone allergic to eggs, chicken protein, neomycin or polymyxin, or anyone who's had a life-threatening reaction to a previous influenza vaccination. 

A doctor should be consulted if the person has a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome or other serious neurologic events such as paralysis or seizures within six weeks of a previous influenza vaccination.

Q: Can someone receive a vaccine in a county or state they do not reside in?

A: Yes. There are no state or county borders for vaccination. The only exceptions are tribal clinics (you must be a tribal member to receive a vaccine at a tribal clinic). Beyond that, someone in Multnomah County (for example) cannot be denied a vaccine on the basis of their residency in Clackamas County, or even in Clark County, Washington.
 

Information about Vaccine Recalls

As a quality assurance measure, manufacturers of H1N1 vaccines routinely test the potency of the vaccine after shipping it to providers, as its strength may diminish over time. There have been no safety concerns with H1N1 vaccine. All lots passed pre-release testing for purity, potency and safety, but certain lots of the vaccine tested slightly weaker than the standard in later stability testing and were recalled.

Feb 3:

Sanofi Pasteur notified CDC and FDA that some lots of monovalent 2009 (H1N1) influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes will have a shorter expiration period than indicated on the label. The lots of Sanofi Pasteur monovalent 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes should be used by February 15, 2010, regardless of the expiration imprinted on the package. This is to ensure the vaccine is used while it's still fully potent. There are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine. People who received vaccine from the lots with shortened shelf life do not need to take any action.

Jan 29:
Sanofi Pasteur Inc. recalled five distributed lots of single-dose, pre-filled syringe pediatric vaccine and one distributed lot of single-dose pre-filled syringe for older children and adults because they were slightly weaker than the specification. This was a non-safety-related, voluntary recall of any unused doses of these affected lots of vaccine. There is no need to get re-vaccinated if you have had an H1N1 vaccine from one of these lots.

Dec 22:
Manufacturers recalled approximately 4.7 million doses due to potentially low potency. Approximately 85,400 doses of MedImmune nasal spray vaccine went to 338 sites in Oregon, which represents about 9 percent of the total recalled doses.

Dec 15:
Sanofi Pasteur recalled 800,000 doses of its pediatric H1N1 vaccine due to insufficient potency, of which 7,600 doses were distributed to Oregon H1N1 vaccine providers. Sanofi Pasteur and Oregon Public Health notified the affected vaccine providers.