Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

MISSOULA - Two years ago mass immunization clinics became a frequent site across Western Montana and throughout the country, as health professionals scrambled to contain a major outbreak of the H1N1 virus, an especially strong variant of influenza.

Clinics were set up in Missoula, Kalispell and other parts of the region inoculating hundreds of people in an effort to keep H1N1 from turning into a major flu pandemic.

People dutifully endured the long lines and crying children to get their shots. And now, two years later it looks like all that effort is paying off.

Cindy Hotchkiss, the infectious disease nurse with the Missoula City-County Health Department says the latest flue shots include vaccine for H1N1, as well as the more common strains.

"Flu shots this year contain a strain of A, the strain of B that they think is going to be prominent, and they also contain the H1N1 vaccine. So, part of the reason we haven't see a big uptick like we did with H1N1 I think is because everyone did vaccinated for it at the time it was really big. And then last year's flu shot, and this year's flu shot contained the H1N1 vaccine, so that's kind of keeping the lid on that one I think."

Flu vaccines last for a year, meaning those shots from the Fall of 2009 would no longer be effective. However, Hotchkiss because so many people got their vaccinations it helped to knock down H1N1.

And Hotchkiss says the advice remains to get current shots to stay on top of any flu strains that may be a problem this winter.

"Yep, hopefully we're ahead of it and just continuing to encourage people to get their flu shots."

Contact Dennis Bragg