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SALT LAKE CITY -- Health workers at the Utah Department of Health say even if you think you've had the swine flu, you likely still want to have a swine flu vaccine.
Spokesman Tom Hudachko said there were only a few lab-confirmed cases and diagnoses based on symptoms were not always accurate.
"There were a lot of people who got sick over the course of the past six months, and our laboratory was only able to confirm a certain amount of those people actually had H1N1," Hudachko said.
A rapid influenza test was also problematic.
"First of all, it creates a lot of false negatives," Hudachko said. "Second of all, it only ‘types' the influenza virus - so it can determine influenza A, B. It doesn't do the actual sub-typing that would be required."
Hudachko said it's better to play it safe.
"The bottom line is even if you've got some immunity to the H1N1 virus, getting vaccinated is not going to do you any harm," Hudachko said.
Salt Lake Valley Health Department Director Gary Edwards says the agency received the first shipment of an expected 11,600 doses on Monday morning. Four clinics in the area will begin administering the nasal spray vaccine Wednesday.
The Weber-Morgan Health Department received 2,600 doses of the nasal spray vaccine. Health officials plan to begin dispensing it Tuesday.
The Bear River Health Department in Logan got 1,800 doses. They were being given out Monday afternoon.
The mist is intended for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 24; healthy adults up to 49 years old caring for children less than 6 months old; and health care workers up to 49 years old.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com and the Associated Press
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
