Vaccination Information
Vaccines are the best tool we have to prevent influenza. The CDC is recommending that all people receive the seasonal flu vaccine earlier than most years; those who are considered high risk are being encouraged to get the vaccine as early as possible. (If you are high risk, please contact your primary care physician for a consult.) For everyone else the timing is less urgent.
WPI held a seasonal flu clinic on September 17, 2009 and our first open H1N1 flu clinic on December 10, 2009.
VACCINE UPDATE, March 15, 2010: H1N1 vaccine is currently available at WPI Student Health Services for all members of the WPI community. Please contact Health Services at 508-831-5520 to schedule an appointment if you are interested in receiving the H1N1 vaccine.
The seasonal flu vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against novel H1N1 influenza. The novel H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine – it is intended to be used along-side seasonal flu vaccine. Certain groups at higher risk for complications from this flu are recommended to get the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. These groups include:
- pregnant women,
- people who live with and care for children younger than 6 months of age,
- healthcare and emergency medical services personnel,
- people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years (this includes most students attending institutions of higher education), and
- people ages 25–64 years of age who have chronic health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes) or compromised immune systems.
The CDC does not expect that there will be a shortage of novel H1N1 vaccine, but flu vaccine availability and demand can be unpredictable. As the production and availability of H1N1 vaccine continues to increase, eventually everyone who wishes to receive the vaccine will be able to do so.
For more information on Flu Vaccines and Vaccine Safety, go to: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/flu/vaccine_safety.pdf
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: March 12, 2010 15:40:16