Health district offers special H1N1 shot clinic

The Central District Health Department (CDHD) Mountain Home office will hold a special by-appointment-only H1N1 (swine) flu clinic on Saturday, Dec. 19, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Mountain Home office at 520 E. 8th North St.

Appointments are on a first come-first served basis and there will be no walk-ins for this flu clinic.

CDHD is lifting its restrictions on who is eligible to receive the vaccine with this clinic, so everyone interested in protection against the H1N1 flu is welcome to make an appointment.

Appointments for the H1N1 flu vaccine can be made by calling 580-6002. "This is a good opportunity for parents with children under 9 to bring their children in for the second dose of the vaccine that is required for full immunization against the H1N1 flu," CDHD officials said.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, public health officials agreed to make the vaccine available to all Idahoans under the age of 65 immediately, including healthy adults.

Prior to that, a limited supply of vaccine forced public health officials to target the vaccine to recommended initial priority groups that included children and young adults under the age of 25, pregnant women and people 25-64 with underlying health conditions.

For people 65 and older, Idaho's local Public Health Districts and healthcare providers plan to begin offering the vaccine for them as additional supplies of vaccine become available in the coming weeks.

See the Mountain Home News for the complete story.