Date: August 28th 2010

Though it seems early, flu vaccine season has arrived. We currently have only the nasal spray flu vaccine available but expect to receive the injectable vaccine in the next week or so. We will have our first flu vaccine clinics this Wednesday, September 1 and another on Friday, September 17. We will ONLY be giving the nasal spray vaccine at the first clinic. Most of our patients 2 years of age or older are candidates for this vaccine, but please make sure you read below before calling for your appointment. To be a candidate for the nasal spray flu vaccine, the child must not have any of the following: 1. allergy to eggs 2. under 2 years of age 3. ANY chronic illness (including diabetes or other metabolic disease; any heart, kidney, or neurological condition; asthma that is not very well controlled, any other lung condition; or anemia or other blood disorder) 4. between 2 and 4 years of age with a history of wheezing or asthma in the last 12 months 5. a condition that causes a weakened immune system (HIV/AIDS, cancer treatment, long term steroid therapy) 6. taking anti-viral medications or long term aspirin 7. pregnancy 8. a history of Guillain Barre Syndrome 9. received another live vaccine (MMR or Varicella/Chicken Pox vaccine) in the last month 10. exposure to someone with a severely weakened immune system who must remain in a protected environment like a bone marrow transplant unit It's not too early to get the flu vaccine, so make an appointment now. We'll open up more dates as demand increases. This year's regular flu vaccine (both the nasal and the injectable) have protection from H1N1 flu. Any child under 9 years of age who did not receive 2 doses of H1N1 vaccine last year will need 2 doses of this year's vaccine about 1 month apart to get full immunity from H1N1. We expect that the H1N1 strain will be the most common strain circulating in the community for the next several years. We look forward to seeing you soon! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription: You are subscribed to the following list: Mesquite Pediatrics Flu Mailing List using the following email: example@example.com You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: <http://www.mesquitepediatrics.com/mailinglists/mail.cgi/u/flu/> If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism. You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen: <http://www.mesquitepediatrics.com/mailinglists/mail.cgi/list/flu> If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: <mailto:webmaster@mesquitepediatrics.com> The following physical address is associated with this mailing list: Mesquite Pediatrics, 2350 N. Kibler Pl., Suite 1, Tucson, AZ 85712 Mailing List Powered by Dada Mail http://www.mesquitepediatrics.com/mailinglists/mail.cgi/what_is_dada_mail/=