Swine flu clinic Friday at Health Department

On Friday, Rowan County will hold a H1N1 flu clinic and will be providing the H1N1 live nasal vaccine for children ages 2 years -24 years and health care workers through 49 years of age.

Preservative free injectable H1N1 vaccine for children 6 months through 35 months of age will also be provided.

Injectable vaccine for children ages 3 through 24 years of age will be available for children with medical conditions that prohibit them from receiving the live nasal vaccine and for health care workers that are age 50 or older.

The clinic will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or until vaccine is gone, whichever is first.

The following people may not get the live vaccine:

- Pregnant women;

- Anyone with a weakened immune system;

- Anyone with a long-term health problem such as heart disease, lung disease, asthma, kidney or liver disease, a metabolic disease such as diabetes, anemia and other disorders;

- Children younger than 5 years with asthma or one or more episodes of wheezing during the past year;

- Anyone with certain muscle or nerve disorders (such as cerebral palsy or seizure disorders) that can lead to breathing or swallowing problems;

- Anyone in close contact with a person with a severely weakened immune system (requiring care in a protected environment, such as a bone marrow transplant unit);

- Children or adolescents on long-term care aspirin treatment.

Others who should not get the live vaccine are those with an allergy to a component of the vaccine, who have had a serious reaction to flu vaccine in the past, have a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome or an occurrence of any neurological symptom following any vaccine, completed antiviral therapy within the last 48 hours or received a live vaccine within the past month or plan to get a live vaccine within the next month.

People who are moderately or severely ill are advised to wait until they recover before getting the vaccine. If a person has a mild cold or other illness, there is usually no need to wait.