Last modified: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Eligible IU Bloomington students, employees begin H1N1 vaccine reservations tomorrow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 5, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A unique Web site for IU Bloomington students and employees to reserve a free H1N1 flu shot will be up and running Friday (Nov. 6). IU has yet to receive any H1N1 vaccine, but those making reservations will be the first to receive it.
IU employees and students currently eligible to make reservations are pregnant women, households with children younger than six months of age, students and employees through age 24, health care and emergency medical services personnel, and people 25-64 with a chronic medical condition that creates a higher risk for complications.
IU Bloomington students and employees eligible for an initial round of H1N1 vaccines will be able to make a vaccination reservation beginning tomorrow even though the vaccine has yet to arrive.
High risk complications include chronic pulmonary conditions (including asthma), cardiovascular conditions (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, cognitive, neurological/neuromuscular, hemotologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus), and immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus).
Anyone meeting the above criteria, but who also has a serious egg allergy, has had a reaction to a previous flu vaccine or who has experienced Guillain-Barré Syndrome within six weeks of the vaccination date will not be eligible to receive the vaccine.
To reach the reservation service, users need to visit either the IU Bloomington home page at https://www.iub.edu/, the IU Health Center home page at https://healthcenter.indiana.edu/ or the Health Center page in OneStart at https://onestart.iu.edu/ (See "Health Center" in left side menu under the "Campus" tab). Once there, users will be able to access the reservation service by clicking on the "Free H1N1 Vaccinations" icon.
IU Health Center Medical Director Dr. Diana Ebling urged those eligible to reserve a time slot to receive the vaccine and then follow through by receiving the vaccine when it does arrive.
"At its best H1N1 flu makes someone feel terrible for a few days, and at its worst it can cause serious illness," Ebling said. "The best way to prevent the H1N1 flu is to get vaccinated. I strongly encourage all who are eligible for the H1N1 vaccine to get it."
The H1N1 vaccine is manufactured the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine and is expected to be just as safe, she added, noting that no serious side effects have been reported in tens of thousands of people who have received it.
Those who are eligible and visit the site will be able to reserve a 10-minute time slot between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday in Week One or Week Two of the anticipated vaccination effort. Those with reservations will then receive an e-mail when the vaccine arrives that confirms the actual calendar date for their vaccination.
Anyone reserving a vaccine will print out and complete a H1N1 influenza vaccine consent form when prompted during the registration process and, if under age 18, also a H1N1 influenza parental consent form that must be signed by parents and presented at the vaccination site. In addition to the consent forms, anyone completing a reservation will also receive an automatically generated email that serves as a reservation ticket which also must be brought to the vaccination site.
Finally, Ebling urged anyone reserving a vaccine to wear a short-sleeve shirt the day of the vaccination in order to accommodate an efficient and smooth process.
Ebling noted that IU has no idea when it would receive the vaccine or how many doses would arrive. She said additional opportunities to make a reservation for dates beyond Week One and Week Two might occur depending on how much vaccine is made available.
To speak with Ebling, please contact Steve Chaplin, University Communications, at 812-856-1896 or stjchap@indiana.edu.
