Saturday, October 29, 2005
FLU SHOT RESTRICTION RECOMMENDATION LIFTED!
Indiana Parley Right to Raise Issue
All week I've looked askance at the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health's recommendation that flu shots be restricted to high-priority persons as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. Here's the link to the original post on Tuesday where I raised concern that the policy was going in the opposite direction of Monday's recommendations by the CDC, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Lung Association. My concern was that the anomalous Fort Wayne-Allen County policy would have the effect of discouraging people from getting flu shot when it is important for the general population to be building herd immunity.
NOW COMES WORD THAT THE BOARD HAS REVERSED ITS POLICY. THE JOURNAL-GAZETTE CARRIED THE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING.
I know that WANE-TV monitors this blog. I was pleased to see on Wednesday that WANE-TV News had gone back to the Board of Health to ask about the restrictions. The Director told WANE-TV that the Board of Health was sticking with the CDC recommendations. HOWEVER, THE CLEAR WORDING OF THE CDC RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT FLU SHOTS BE MADE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2005.
Indiana Parley has continued to work on this story. We had contacted several of the continguous county health departments to see whether they had such restrictions. We had not yet completed that survey with all the counties. We had yet to find a restriction. This was important because a recommendation by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health is carried across the whole northeast Indiana media market.
We had also contacted other entities and physicians in tracking this story in preparation for an additional report for Monday and Tuesday. I am glad - and relieved - that the need for additional reportage has been lessened.
All week I've looked askance at the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health's recommendation that flu shots be restricted to high-priority persons as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. Here's the link to the original post on Tuesday where I raised concern that the policy was going in the opposite direction of Monday's recommendations by the CDC, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Lung Association. My concern was that the anomalous Fort Wayne-Allen County policy would have the effect of discouraging people from getting flu shot when it is important for the general population to be building herd immunity.
NOW COMES WORD THAT THE BOARD HAS REVERSED ITS POLICY. THE JOURNAL-GAZETTE CARRIED THE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING.
I know that WANE-TV monitors this blog. I was pleased to see on Wednesday that WANE-TV News had gone back to the Board of Health to ask about the restrictions. The Director told WANE-TV that the Board of Health was sticking with the CDC recommendations. HOWEVER, THE CLEAR WORDING OF THE CDC RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT FLU SHOTS BE MADE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2005.
Indiana Parley has continued to work on this story. We had contacted several of the continguous county health departments to see whether they had such restrictions. We had not yet completed that survey with all the counties. We had yet to find a restriction. This was important because a recommendation by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health is carried across the whole northeast Indiana media market.
We had also contacted other entities and physicians in tracking this story in preparation for an additional report for Monday and Tuesday. I am glad - and relieved - that the need for additional reportage has been lessened.
