By Valerie Baldowksi
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

Globally, fewer cases of H1N1 are being seen, although cases are still being reported around the world, according to health officials.

As a result, the initial panic surrounding the presence of the H1N1flu virus has subsided, according to Jill Bolton, Henry County Nurse Manager.

Compared to earlier this year, when the television media provided heavy reporting of confirmed cases of the flu, the presence of H1N1 has fallen below the public consciousness, Bolton said.

“People have gotten a little more complacent about it. I feel like that’s not a real good attitude,” she said.

She said the flu season is far from over. She, and other health officials in Henry,

continue to advocate for immunizations, and remind the public that there are about 3,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine still available in Henry County.

Bolton stressed the ongoing importance of getting an H1N1 vaccination. Obtaining an immunization in Henry is not difficult, she said.

Some private providers and pediatricians have the vaccine, she said. She advised anyone needing a flu shot to call his or her doctor, or visit the Henry County Health Department.

The department’s two clinics are located at 1020 Hospital Drive in Stockbridge, and 135 Henry Parkway in McDonough.

Bolton said both the nasal and injectable forms of the vaccine are offered on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis. Shots are given Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m., to 11 a.m., and 1 p.m., to 3:30 p.m., at both clinics.

Normally, she said, during the regular flu season, the initial severity of the onset of the virus subsides by April or May, and hits a low point by the summer.

H1N1 did not follow that pattern, she said. The threat from the virus was just as prevalent during the summer months as when it was initially detected.

However, she said that fewer people appear concerned about it now, due to a lack of recent media coverage. That seeming lack of concern is, itself, a concern to health officials, she suggested.

Dr. Margaret Lewin, medical director for Cinergy Health in New York City, has a similar concern, now that the media are no longer continuously touting stories about the virus. “My concern,” she said, “was that people were far from panicky. They didn’t take a lot of it seriously.”

Many, she said, failed to follow safety procedures, such as washing their hands, covering their mouths when coughing, and obtaining an H1N1 shot. “It took them a long time to get careful,” said Lewin.

“When the H1N1 virus appeared in the U.S. in April, it was a new virus, and no vaccine existed,” said Richard Quartarone, a media relations spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Over the course of the pandemic, health officials learned a great deal about the virus very quickly. The response and recommendations evolve to match what is being discovered.

“Today, there are 120 million doses of H1N1 vaccine available in the U.S. alone,” Quartarone added. “It is unprecedented to produce so much of such a safe, effective vaccine in such a short period of time, and more vaccine becomes available every day.”

According to Bolton and other health workers, the threat is not over, and residents ought to take advantage of the availability of the vaccine.