Letter to Parents from DC Department of Health

H1N1 Free Vaccine Schedule

Information about H1N1 Vaccines

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

 WHAT: Swine Flu – Vaccination Update

WHEN: Tuesday October 20, 2009 through Saturday October 31.

WHERE: The DC Department of Health (DOH) will be hosting clinics at schools for DC children to receive the H1N1 flu vaccination beginning this week. There is a vaccination site in each ward.

Cardozo Senior High School (Ward 1) 1200 Clifton Street NW

Tuesday October 20 ……………………………….5:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday October 31 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Hardy Middle School and Intensive Program (Ward 2) 1819 35th Street NW

Saturday October 24 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Thursday October 29 ………………………………5:00pm - 9:00pm

Wilson Senior High School (Ward 3) 3950 Chesapeake Street NW

Saturday October 24 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Thursday October 29 ………………………………5:00pm - 9:00pm

Coolidge Senior High School (Ward 4) 6315 5th Street NW

Saturday October 24 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Saturday October 31 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

McKinley Technology High School (Ward 5) 151 T Street NE

Saturday October 24 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Saturday October 31 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

Eliot Middle School (Ward 6) 1830 Constitution Ave. NE

Thursday October 22 ……………………………..5:00pm - 9:00pm

Tuesday October 27 ……………………………...5:00pm - 9:00pm

Kelly Miller Middle School (Ward 7) 301 49th Street NE

Thursday October 22 ………………………………5:00pm - 9:00pm

Tuesday October 27 ……………………………….5:00pm - 9:00pm

Ballou Senior High School (Ward 8) 3401 4th Street SE

Tuesday October 20 ……………………………….5:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday October 31 ………………………………8:00am - 4:00pm

 

DETAILS: Clinics will be open to all students (DCPS, public charter, and private school students) at the same time. The Center for Disease Control recommends that children 6 months through 9 years of age receive two doses, separated by 4 weeks, of the H1N1 flu vaccine. Children 10 years of age and older should receive one dose. The high priority groups are: pregnant women, health care workers and emergency medical responders, people caring for infants, youth ages 6months-24yrs., and people 25yrs.-64 yrs. with underlying medical conditions (i.e. asthma or diabetes). While DOH will be hosting vaccination clinics for school-aged children this coming week, many pediatricians, family physicians, community health clinics and pharmacies have signed up to provide the vaccine. DOH encourages all parents and guardians to call their child’s doctor to see if they are providing the vaccine.

CONTACT: Additional information about novel H1N1 flu and other related health topics can be found at the Department of Health H1N1 page www.doh.dc.gov/flu or by calling 311.

 

TIPS: The portals of entry for H1N1 are the nose and mouth. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms, and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps can be practiced:

 

1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze, NOT YOUR HAND. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

3. "Hands-off-the-face" - resist all temptations to touch any part of face – especially eyes, nose or mouth – germs spread into your body this way.

4. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (or use Listerine). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

5. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Use a neti pot or blow the nose hard once a day and swab both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water. This is very effective in bringing down the viral population.

6. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

7. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

8. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

9. If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine), except to get medical care or for other necessities.

10. Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.