The Coweta County Health Dept. has received a limited number of doses of nasal spray vaccine for the H1N1 flu to be administered only to healthy young children ages 2-4. Walk-ins are welcome but parents are asked to call before they come to the office.

District 4 Division of Public Health spokesperson Hayla Hall said Monday that the county has received 700 doses of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine and that it has been designated for the 2-4-year age group that is considered to be vulnerable to the H1N1 influenza. Hall said the majority of vaccine doses are still available. There will be no charge for the vaccine, she said.

Hall stressed that vaccination guidelines advise that the children be in good health and free from egg allergies, asthma or long-term health problems, weakened immune systems, those receiving treatments containing aspirin or those with muscle, nerve or seizure disorders.

There is no appointment necessary to have the vaccine administered. Parents, however, should call the Coweta County Health Dept. at (770) 254-7400 prior to arriving. Coweta County Health Dept. is located at 137 Jackson Street in Newnan.

Hall said additional H1N1 nasal spray vaccine could be arriving in the county in coming weeks although the specific timeframe for its arrival is currently unknown. Also currently unknown is the time frame for the arrival of the H1N1 shot.

Whether as a nasal spray or by injection, the idea of taking the H1N1 vaccine continues to be a topic of conversation locally and nationwide. Not surprisingly, reporting agencies vary in the percentages of Americans who say they will or will not take the vaccine.

A study from the Harvard School of Public Health released Oct. 2 reported that 60 percent of adults surveyed said they would take the vaccine and 75 percent said they would have their children vaccinated. Yet a Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center study a week earlier showed nearly the opposite, with 66 percent of those surveyed saying they would not take the vaccine and only 35 percent planned to have their children vaccinated.

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