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GoogleFlu clinics scheduled for Malta Bend on Sept. 24, Arrow Rock on Sept. 30 and Marshall at Martin Community Center on Sept. 29 have been canceled, according to a news release from the health department.
The health department will honor any appointments already scheduled, according to the news release.
"The demand has been through the roof this year," Administrator Lisa Thomas said.
The department has a limited supply of seasonal flu vaccine remaining.
Department officials cited several different factors contributing to the vaccine shortage: first, increased demand due to H1N1; second, decreased availability from the manufacturers possibly due to the H1N1 vaccine production; and third, several local county entities that ordered seasonal flu vaccine did not receive their orders or received only a portion.
Thomas said the health department provided some vaccines to area nursing homes and Missouri Valley College because those organizations received no shots.
The department has also set aside some vaccines for private flu clinics with area businesses.
"In order to supply vaccine to Saline County residents who are considered to be high risk, the Saline County Health Department's supply has become very limited," said Thomas.
Other venues for obtaining seasonal flu vaccinations are local physicians and pharmacies that vaccinate.
Red Cross Pharmacy in Marshall has ordered flu shots, though they have not been delivered yet. Walmart's pharmacy will administer flu shots on Oct. 7 and 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Flu shots cost $25.
Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, City Pharmacy in Slater and Sweet Springs Pharmacy are not carrying the vaccine.
Several local public health agencies received partial seasonal flu vaccine shipments and are unable to obtain any additional supply of vaccine.
The health department has a limited supply of vaccines, which will be administered at the seasonal flu clinics in Sweet Springs on Sept. 23 from 1 to 6 p.m. and in Slater on Oct. 1 from 1 to 6 p.m.
Vaccinations will be administered on a first-come basis and will continue until the supply for each clinic is exhausted or until the close of the clinic.
"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," Thomas said.
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Collector, that flies in the face of what I just heard on the news this morning from a doctor. There are already cases of H1N1 in our area but I haven't heard of any cases of the common flu.KU has had 100's of H1N1 unlike any other illness they have seen. And willief the schools never get doses of flu vacine.Doesn't make any sense considering how close the students are to reach other all day long and the potential of it spreading further when those 1000 kids head home every day.
If there are not enough shots, will the schools have enough. Since this might be a bad flu seasons, I think the schools should have at least first or second choice.
Thank you Collector, for stating the obvious. Anyone that has done the least amount of research knows the truth of what you are saying.
People that don't research, and rely instead on the misinformation doled out to them by the mainstream media, dutifully march their innocent children down to walmart and have them shot up with these toxic time bombs that will wreak havoc on those children's lives, long down the road..
It's too much trouble to read readily available information and really,... we just don't want to hear it..
I have made a copy of your post because you have breached a subject that the editor likes to censor.
It would be a great idea if all the facts concerning the H1N1 flu were publicized so that people would know that this strain of flu is really no different in severity then the more common flu. The chances of contracting this flu and the consequences are no greater than the common varieties of flu. The only real difference the hype surrounding it.