If you get the shakes just thinking about getting a needle, you may be able to receive the vaccine in nasal mist form but you will need to check first to see whether you can safely take the nasal mist form of the flu vaccine or will have to get a shot. People who can safely get the nasal mist flu vaccine are as follows:

The list of people who can’t receive this shot is longer, so be sure to check. Basically, if you are pregnant, have a compromised immune system or a chronic health problem, you are not eligible for the nasal spray vaccine, as it could cause your condition to worsen. Also very young children and people over 50 should not get the nasal spray. Again, please check the list to get full details.

More shipments of the swine flu vaccine will be arriving in the coming weeks and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (S.C. DHEC) website will be adding new clinic listings as they become available.

There is a flu clinic finder on the South Carolina website where you can learn when and where you can get a seasonal flu vaccine and an H1N1 flu (swine flu) vaccine in your local community. Simply type in the county where you live and the type of clinic you’re looking for, i.e.  for a seasonal flu shot, a swine flu shot or “all” for both types of clinics.

Currently, seasonal flu shots are being offered by doctors, local public health departments, drugstores, and urgent care centers throughout the state.  You should contact your private health care provider to find out if he or she will be providing the vaccine. Local pharmacies that signed up to provide the swine flu vaccine, will advertise when it becomes available.

If you have any questions about the H1N1 vaccine, you can call 1-800-27SHOTS (1-800-2774687.)

For the rest of the population, more vaccine will be available in mid-November at pharmacies, health care provider offices,  schools  and local health departments.

Whether you fall into the category of being a priority or not, the Virginia Department of  Health (VDH) website has a complete list of public vaccination sites, including pharmacies and local health departments.  At the top of this page, you can type in your city and postal code to narrow the search considerably.

There is also a page for  schools that will be hosting vaccination clinics.  If your child’s school is on this list, you are advised to check with the school for vaccination schedules. Phone numbers are listed on the page.

Local health departments and phone numbers are available as well. Simply type in a Health District OR a Location OR a Zip Code OR the City you would like to locate, in the box at the top of the page to bring up results relevant to you and your family.

The VDH  website has a swine flu hotline, as well.  Contact them at 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343.)

For the seasonal flu, a  link on the Flu.gov web page for Virginia, takes you to the American Lung Association website where you are asked to enter your zip code into the Flu Clinic Locator on the right-hand side of the page. This will give you the date, times, address, and phone number of the clinics offering seasonal flu shots near you, as well as a map showing where the clinic is located. The flu clinic locator is updated daily, so you will always get the most up-to-date  information.

Both kinds of  vaccines are made the same way. The virus is injected into chicken eggs and grown into larger quantities. If you have a known allergy to chicken eggs or a compromised immune system due to some other medical condition, talk to your doctor about whether flu vaccination is even an option for you.

For the vaccine that is administered by needle, the virus is harvested from the eggs, killed and chopped into segments. When it is injected into you, it activates your body’s immune system to produce the antibodies that will kill the actual flu virus should you become exposed to it.

When making the nasal-spray vaccine, the virus is grown in the eggs at lower temperatures, which weakens it so that it can only survive in the nose. The nasal vaccine infects the mucosal cells that are closely monitored by your immune system and once this system detects the vaccine, it produces permanent immunity to the flu virus.

Only healthy people ages 2 to 49 and who aren’t pregnant can receive the nasal-spray vaccine. If you fall into this category and cringe at the thought of having to get a  needle, the nasal spray might be the way to go. However, if you are getting both the seasonal and the swine flu shots, you will need to wait four weeks in between the two nasal-spray vaccines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you can’t get the flu from either the injectable vaccine  or the nasal-spray, because the viruses have been inactivated. With the flu shot, minor side effects can occur, including soreness, redness or swelling where the shot is given, low grade fever, aches and nausea. These problems could occur soon after the shot is given and last from 1 to 2 days.

The nasal spray can cause the following side effects in children:

• runny nose
• wheezing
• headache
• vomiting
• muscle aches
• fever

In adults, side effects, if they occur include:

• runny nose
• headache
• sore throat
• cough

There can be serious side effects from either vaccine but these are very rare. One such side effect is Guillian-Barre Syndrome, a rare disorder in which the person’s own immune system damages nerve cells. Visit the CDC website for questions and answers about this condition.

The Flu.gov website has links to Q & A’s about both the H1N1 nasal spray and the needle that answers questions about what symptons to look for in the event of any kind of severe reaction and how to proceed.

The symptoms are fairly similar with coughing, fever, lack of energy, discharge from the nose and a decrease in appetite.  In order to limit the transmission of the flu virus from pigs to people and people to pigs, the following steps can be taken:

• Vaccination of pigs. By administering influenza virus vaccinations to pigs, farmers can help to eliminate the potential spread of infection.
• Vaccination of farm workers. By making sure that all workers who come in contact with pigs are vaccinated, companies and farm owners can decrease the chances of pigs spreading the virus to workers and vice versa.
• Avoid contact. If you are infected with the influenza virus or any other infectious illness, avoid contact with as many people as possible and stay home.  In contrast, if you see that others are not feeling well, try to avoid them, as well.
• Practice good hygiene. Always cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and wash your hands with soap often.
• Maintain healthy habits. Remember to get enough sleep, eat healthy meals full of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water.
• Do not pet pigs. You cannot get the swine virus from eating pork, but you could get it if you have direct contact with a pig, so stay clear until you know that it is safe to be around them again.

For now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are issuing a travel health warning for Mexico, advising people to avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico.  If you must travel to Mexico, the CDC recommends that you be up-to-date on all of your current vaccinations, including seasonal influenza vaccines.  They also advise you to do your homework and know where healthcare facilities are located in the area you will be traveling.

Be sure to pay attention to healthcare announcements being made while you are in the country and always follow the local public health guidelines.

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