The first wave of H1N1 vaccine allocations arrived in Wisconsin Monday as the number of University of Wisconsin students contacting University Health Services with influenza-like illnesses fell for the third straight week. Vaccines, however, will not be available for students for another 10 to 15 days.
Week five of the semester saw a continued slide in H1N1 numbers on campus, as 58 students contacted UHS reporting ILI, according to UW spokesperson John Lucas.
These numbers show significant decrease from week four — Sept. 20 to Sept. 26 — when UHS reported 94 students with ILI and an even more notable decrease from this semester’s peak in week two, when 345 students were evaluated with ILI.
The first doses of the vaccine coming into Wisconsin will be strategically allotted to major health care providers throughout the state, said Sarah Van Orman, executive director for UHS.
UHS has placed a total order for 20,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, with an initial order of around 5,000, though Van Orman only expects a couple thousand of these in the first delivery.
These first doses will probably go entirely to health service workers, including approximately 1,500 UW students who work in the health service industry, according to Van Orman.
UW Health put in a separate order for H1N1 vaccines, according to UW Health spokesperson Lisa Brunette, and are expecting around 200 vaccines by the end of the week.
UW Health has put a restriction on student volunteers, asking them to not come in until the flu has quieted down. Brunette said they will be reevaluating this policy, considering the recent decrease in ILI numbers and the anticipated arrival of the first vaccines.
Although the arrival of these first vaccines has been highly anticipated by health service workers, Van Orman said the fact the first shipment will be entirely nasal spray vaccines will present some restrictions and theoretical risks.
While the nasal spray will work fine for most people, those with severe underlying health conditions will be unable to receive the nasal spray, as well as health service workers who deal with patients that have severe immune-deficiency, according to Van Orman.
