30,000 and counting vaccinated for H1N1 in Bloomington alone

The current pattern of H1N1 flu cases is not unusual for any other flu season, according to Amanda Roach, media relations coordinator at Bloomington Hospital.

“The number of cases that we’ve seen over the last several weeks has been down from what we saw in the fall,” said Roach. “We really saw a peak in October and since then, the number of cases has decreased.”

Although the worst of the flu season seems to be over, Indiana health officials warn that the worst might not be over yet and encourage residents to get vaccinated, if they have not already done so.

“With influenza, there is no way to know what it will do,” said Monroe County Health Department Administrator, Penny Caudill.

Contrary to the shortage of H1N1 vaccines last fall, the availability has become more adequate and people are able to get vaccinated, as needed, according to Caudill.

“At this point, we want to prevent another wave of illness and death this spring,” said Caudill. “Early on, there was a high demand for the H1N1 vaccine and less supply. Now there seems to be less demand and more supply.”

Despite getting vaccinated, IUPUI sophomore, Megan Ebling, was one of more than 200,000 Americans hospitalized for the H1N1 virus.

“I woke up one morning with a fever of about 100 degrees, and I couldn’t even get out of bed,” said Ebling. “It felt like I got hit by a train.” 

The vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective, Caudill said. However, once vaccinated, it can take up to two weeks for a person to gain immunity to the virus.

Caudill encourages everyone to continue to use precautions and practice good hygiene such as washing your hands, coughing into your sleeve, and staying home if you have flu-like symptoms.

Over 30,000 people in Monroe County have been vaccinated and there have been no reported H1N1-related deaths in Monroe County, Caudill said. Every Thursday, the Monroe County Public Health Clinic provides free H1N1 vaccines from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. to the public. 

Free vaccinations will continue to be distributed through February or until the demand for vaccinations diminishes greatly, Caudill said.