Small Town News

Hundreds take part in free H1N1 clinic

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Rolette County Public Health offered an open H1N1 Clinic last Monday, the latest in an effort to provide as much H1N1 vaccine as possible.

Nearly 300 people took advantage of the clinic, which was held from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Rolls School Gymnasium. The free vaccine was available for all adults, regardless of age and all children between six months and 18 years.

Volunteers from Towner County and Lake Region Public Health, Presentation Medical Center, Rolla Ambulance, Rolla Police, Mount Pleasant School Administration, students and many other community members together with Rolette County Public Health District staff and Board of Health were involved in the functional exercise.

"We could not have provided such a clinic without the support and assistance of volunteers and the working relationships with neighboring public health units," said Barb Frydenlund, RN, Rolette County Public Health District Administrator. "The community support was phenomenal."'

Frydenlund said the clinic allowed Public Health to exercise a "Point of Distribution" or 'POD' that is a systematic approach to providing a medical service to a large amount of people within a short time frame. "We were very happy with how individuals were able to flow through the stations in a timely manner. Time of entry to POD and completion of vaccination averaged about five minutes per individual," Frydenlund said.

Since September, the North Dakota Department of Health has reported that approximately 70 percent of the reported influenza cases in North Dakota have been in individuals less than 20 years of age,

Frydenlund said, "We know that the HINl virus is circulating in Rolette County and individuals have been sick from this virus. That is why it is so important that we all follow preventative steps to reduce the spread of the virus in Rolette County."

Frydenlund recommends that citizens take four steps to fight the N1N1 flu.

Wash hands frequently, (washing hands on a frequent basis can reduce the spread of germs by 80 percent.)

Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue to avoid spreading germs.

When an individual is sick, they are encouraged to stay home until 24 hours after their fever has subsided (without the aid of medication.)

Get vaccinated against the flu when vaccine is available for your age or priority group. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with influenza. Citizens can be reassured that the same development process and testing was used for the HINl vaccine as is used for several flu vaccines, and the HINl flu vaccine is as safe and effective as the seasonal flu vaccines.

Keeping all four steps in mind will greatly reduce the number of people who get the flu and will also reduce the spread of the virus in the area, it is important to keep in mind that even if you have already been sick, your immune system may not be fully protected against this virus. Therefore, to be fully protected against HINl, citizens would need to receive the HINl vaccine.

The current HINl virus appears to be slowing down in its spread and severity, but it is important to note that viruses have the ability to change rapidly, Frydenlund noted. Therefore, additional waves of the HINl can occur at any time, and we cannot predict if additional waves of this pandemic will be more or less severe than the Spring or Fall 2009 HINl waves.

To find out more about HINl, contact your healthcare provider or visit credible websites, such as the North Dakota Department of Health flu website., www.ndflu.com or the Centers for Disease Control links, www.cdc.com, or www.flu.gov. For up to date information onwhen and where you can get seasonal flu or HINl vaccinations, go to www.ndflu.com and click on the "Flu Shot Clinic Locator" link on the homepage or call Rolette County Public Health District at 477.5646."

"We know that the H1N1 virus is circulating in Rolette County and individuals have been sick from this virus. That is why it is so important that we all follow preventative steps to reduce the spread of the virus in Rolette County."

Barb Frydenlund, Rolette County Public Health District administrator



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© 2010 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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