POINT PLEASANT — Everyone has been hearing on the news about flu vaccines available this fall and have been asking, when will flu vaccines be available to us?

According to the Mason County Health Department, seasonal flu vaccines in Mason County are offered by many different health care outlets. Many physician offices order seasonal flu vaccines to meet the needs of their patients who have medical conditions that put them at high risk if they develop the flu.

Ads are frequently seen that pharmacies in the area offer seasonal flu vaccination clinics. Sometimes employers make arrangements with health care providers in the area to visit the work place to administer seasonal flu vaccines. The health department also offers seasonal flu vaccine to the community.

Wherever a patient normally receives their seasonal flu vaccine, the vaccines most likely were ordered last February to ensure that orders would be shipped as soon as the vaccine is produced. Some providers receive vaccine before others. The reason for this is that many different pharmaceutical companies manufacture the vaccine and completion of the development by each company will vary as well as shipment and delivery dates. The health care providers have no control of when they will receive their vaccine order. All health care outlets that administer seasonal flu vaccines, strive very hard to administer the vaccine as soon as they receive the vaccine. The reason behind this is that patients are not fully protected against circulating seasonal flu viruses until approximately two weeks after they receive the vaccine.

The Center for Disease Control recommends that everyone receive their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available from their health care outlet. Many people believe that the seasonal flu vaccine will not last during the entire flu season if it is administered too early, but this is not true. According to the CDC, the seasonal flu vaccine is intended to last during the entire flu season, and the two doses of the seasonal flu vaccine in one flu season is not necessary and does not offer patients any greater protection.

The health department recommends that residents maintain contact with their health care outlet, employer, pharmacy or local health department to learn when the vaccine will be available, and to remember that they will receive their seasonal flu vaccine at different times. The Mason County Health Department will advertise in the local newspaper, local radio stations as well as on their Web site, www.masoncountyhealthdepartment.org.

According to the health department, several area residents also have asked when the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine will be available in the county. The new vaccine is still undergoing studies and local health departments and health care outlets will not receive any information or vaccine until these studies have been completed. Health care outlets will strive to administer this vaccine as soon as it arrives. In the beginning, priority groups, as to who will receive this vaccine, will follow as indicated by the CDC. This is to assure that those at highest risk for complications receive the vaccine first. Although there is much discussion regarding the H1N1 vaccine, the specifics for the vaccine have not been released to the health care outlets in Mason County.

Until vaccines arrive, and even after vaccines arrive in Mason County, the health department encouraged residents to take action in preventing the spread of flu viruses. According to the health department, the three items that are most important are regular hand washing — if soap and water are not available then hand sanitizers made with alcohol are acceptable, cover coughs or sneeze with a tissue and dispose of that tissue immediately and stay at home from work or school if sick. Those with fevers are instructed to stay home until at least 24 hours after the fever goes away without the use of medicines, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Employers also should make plans for sick employees and parents should make alternate plans for sick children that cannot go to school or daycare. Not everyone who develops flu symptoms will need to seek medical attention, but this should be discussed with health care providers.

For more information, call the health department at 304-675-3050.