McKinley still stocks H1N1 vaccine

Tracy Runck extracts the H1N1 vaccine from a vial at McKinley Health Center on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. McKinley has received over 2,000 vaccines and can distribute as many as 280 vaccines per day. Runck, a RN at McKinley, said, "everyone 24 [years] and under and those over 24 who are high risk should get the vaccine."
Michael Stein The Daily Illini

Although McKinley Health Center has run out of the seasonal flu vaccine, the H1N1 vaccine is still available to students.

David Lawrance, medical director of McKinley Health Center, said the H1N1 flu vaccine is available to students age 24 and younger and anybody with a chronic medical problem.

“If you’re an older grad student, you feel a little left out,” he said.

More than 1,500 University students have already received the H1N1 flu vaccine this semester, and about 2,000 doses were still in stock at the end of last week and are available to students while supplies last, Lawrance said.

Many of those students, however, received the intranasal form of the vaccine, intended only for those without chronic health conditions and weakened immune systems.

“We hope this is not the party that nobody goes to,” he said.

Lawrance said the age regulation came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine was originally limited to students 18 and younger, and those at the top of the list were pregnant women, people who work with infants younger than 6 months and health care providers. The American College Health Association had the age limit changed to 24, he said.

“The risks for all students on campus is pretty high, living in a dense, congregate setting,” he said.

Lawrance said although 7,000 students have already received McKinley’s entire stock of the seasonal flu vaccine, it does not protect against the H1N1 flu virus.

“Rightfully there’s been some hype,” he said. “The whole world’s susceptible to this one (H1N1).”

Lawrance said this is the first year McKinley is requiring students to make an appointment online before coming for flu vaccination.

He said there are about two appointments scheduled every five minutes and waiting in line is minimal.

“We put them (the appointments) out day by day depending upon how much vaccine we have available,” Lawrance said. “It’s been working really well.”

Michael Braverman, graduate student, said he got the vaccine so his mother would stop nagging him about it. He added he would rather take the time now to go get the vaccine than spend more time sick with swine flu.

Lawrance added that adverse reactions to both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines have been minimal. Possible side effects include a sore arm or a fever for the injectable form, and a runny nose and cough for the intranasal form.

Some students said they are still skeptical of the new vaccine and want more scientific evidence that it works.

Niru Pradhan, senior in LAS, said her sister is a pharmacy student and suggested she wait until more research has been completed before receiving the H1N1 vaccine.

“I haven’t really gotten around to researching it very much,” she said.

Pradhan said she has not received the H1N1 vaccine, but she gets the seasonal flu shot every year.

“I think it’s more of a habit for me than anything,” she said.

Lawrance said flu vaccines are the best protection against coming down with either strain of the flu.

“This thing (H1N1) could burn through until everybody gets it,” he said. “If enough people are sick at the same time, it just disrupts everything.”

Sarah Wunning, sophomore in Business, said she has received the seasonal flu vaccine, but has not had time to go back to McKinley for the H1N1 flu vaccine.

“I probably should get it,” Wunning said. “I have a really bad immune system so I tend to get sick all the time.”

Lawrance said the H1N1 virus will continue to affect students.

“It could be our springtime flu outbreak if it weren’t for vaccination,” Lawrance said.