Auburn University takes Swine Flu precautions
Auburn University received intranasal vaccines for the H1N1 virus about three weeks ago, and the Auburn University Medical Clinic is encouraging students, faculty and dependants to get the vaccine this week.
“The response for college-age people is over 85 to 90 percent,” says Dr. Fred Kam, medical director for the Auburn University Medical Clinic.
The next H1N1 clinics are today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the R.B. Draughon Library, and Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Magnolia Hall in the Village dorms.
There is a shortage of vaccines across the country, but Auburn has been fortunate.
“The first week the vaccinations were available, we received 4,000 doses,” Kam says. “We were very lucky. There are still entities that haven’t gotten any.”
Kam says his hope is that everyone takes advantage of this opportunity and gets vaccinated. He explains that the younger you are, the more susceptible you are to this specific virus. When the vaccine is administered, it takes 10 to14 days to take affect.
There will be a lot of exposure from all over the country during Thanksgiving and Christmas break. If a person waits until after next week to get vaccinated, that person will not be protected during the break.
“A lot of people have plans for the break,” Kam says. “The worst thing would be to pay for a trip and have the flu the whole time, that’s wasted money.”
The vaccines are free of charge, but the intranasal vaccine is only licensed for people ages 10 to 49 years old.
Auburn University has not yet received injectable vaccines, Kam explains, because those are for priority clients. These include hospital employees and school children, because they are the most susceptible to getting H1N1 virus.
The vaccine is controlled by the government and state public health department, but Kam plans on getting the injectable vaccine late December or early January.
Since Aug. 17, the Auburn University Medical Clinic has seen 400 cases of H1N1. The national estimates say that, for the college-aged population, 30-50 percent of people will get the virus.
Auburn University has roughly over 24,000 students, Kam says. “This means that 7,000 to 12,000 people should get it.”
The medical clinic’s concern is that they may see an increase in the number of people after Thanksgiving who has the virus, and the large number of people that come together for the Iron Bowl.
“We also have the seasonal flu, which typically hits from January to February,” Kam says. “It would be very challenging if both hit at the same time.”
The clinic is prepared for the worst.
“Back in August, we created a separate area within the clinic for people we thought had the virus,” Kam says. “We were able to maneuver pretty quickly.”
If necessary, there is a plan put in place to expand the clinic to the parking lot and create drive-thru tent clinics.
“The response for college-age people is over 85 to 90 percent,” says Dr. Fred Kam, medical director for the Auburn University Medical Clinic.
The next H1N1 clinics are today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the R.B. Draughon Library, and Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Magnolia Hall in the Village dorms.
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There is a shortage of vaccines across the country, but Auburn has been fortunate.
“The first week the vaccinations were available, we received 4,000 doses,” Kam says. “We were very lucky. There are still entities that haven’t gotten any.”
Kam says his hope is that everyone takes advantage of this opportunity and gets vaccinated. He explains that the younger you are, the more susceptible you are to this specific virus. When the vaccine is administered, it takes 10 to14 days to take affect.
There will be a lot of exposure from all over the country during Thanksgiving and Christmas break. If a person waits until after next week to get vaccinated, that person will not be protected during the break.
“A lot of people have plans for the break,” Kam says. “The worst thing would be to pay for a trip and have the flu the whole time, that’s wasted money.”
The vaccines are free of charge, but the intranasal vaccine is only licensed for people ages 10 to 49 years old.
Auburn University has not yet received injectable vaccines, Kam explains, because those are for priority clients. These include hospital employees and school children, because they are the most susceptible to getting H1N1 virus.
The vaccine is controlled by the government and state public health department, but Kam plans on getting the injectable vaccine late December or early January.
Since Aug. 17, the Auburn University Medical Clinic has seen 400 cases of H1N1. The national estimates say that, for the college-aged population, 30-50 percent of people will get the virus.
Auburn University has roughly over 24,000 students, Kam says. “This means that 7,000 to 12,000 people should get it.”
The medical clinic’s concern is that they may see an increase in the number of people after Thanksgiving who has the virus, and the large number of people that come together for the Iron Bowl.
“We also have the seasonal flu, which typically hits from January to February,” Kam says. “It would be very challenging if both hit at the same time.”
The clinic is prepared for the worst.
“Back in August, we created a separate area within the clinic for people we thought had the virus,” Kam says. “We were able to maneuver pretty quickly.”
If necessary, there is a plan put in place to expand the clinic to the parking lot and create drive-thru tent clinics.
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