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When Can My Child Get Vaccinated?
We at Holyoke Pediatric Associates feel it is important to immunize all children 6 months of age and older to protect them against influenza. The flu vaccine developed for this year will again protect children against both influenza A and B, and will include protection against H1N1 or “swine” flu.
Children under the age of nine who did not receive at least one dose of H1N1 vaccine last year will need 2 doses of this year’s flu vaccine, regardless of whether they had seasonal flu vaccine in the past.
Both injectable and intranasal flu vaccines are already available, and we have begun to immunize patients at routine physicals. We are setting up extra “flu clinic” times during the day, some evenings and some weekends. We will also offer flu vaccine to patients coming in for acute care and “sick” visits as much as possible. Obviously immunizing so many children is a rather monumental task, and we expect that many of our patients from our office will be immunized in schools or possibly other settings. Please keep a record of vaccines received outside the office so that we may update your child’s record the next time he or she is in the office.
Flu vaccine will arrive in our office in shipments from the Massachusetts state immunization program as well as some directly from the vaccine producers over the next few months. Supply at the present time does not seem to be a problem, and we will try to vaccinate as many of our patients as possible.
Please contact our office to schedule flu vaccine for your child. If your child has an upcoming appointment already scheduled, he or she will receive flu vaccine at that appointment.
Other Rescources:
Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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