ACC prepares to battle H1N1

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) --  With the H1N1 vaccine arriving at Air Combat Command bases soon, ACC public health officials are getting the word out on the importance of vaccinating against the virus and other ways to help prevent it. 

The H1N1 vaccine is due to arrive to Air Force bases this month, but who gets the vaccine first will depend on mission requirements. 

"All active-duty personnel will eventually be vaccinated against H1N1," said Lt. Col. Sam Hall, ACC Public Health officer. "We're going to start with the ones going overseas and deploying first, then we'll work on the trainees and those at the academies." 

Trainees and cadets are early in the line because they work and live in a much closer environment, Colonel Hall explained. Once they start vaccinating the larger Air Force population, priority will be given to pregnant women, those who have or take care of children under 6 months in age and people in the 6-month-to-24-year category who seem at greatest risk to the virus. 

People can get the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines at the same time, but if they can't, Colonel Hall said they should wait at least three weeks between the shots. 

The symptoms of H1N1 are nearly identical to the regular flu. 

"You'll see a fever, it'll make you ill, and you'll feel bad," said Lt. Col. Brian Ortman, 1st Fighter Wing Public Health commander. "You won't be able to tell the difference. All of the influenza strains spreading throughout the world and in the United States are almost all H1N1. If it looks like it's the flu, it's probably H1N1." 

Although the symptoms are the same, the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect people from H1N1, hence the need for people to get both vaccines. 

"The virus came on the scene after our normal vaccine was developed," Colonel Hall said. "So we needed to develop it for this one virus. It was too late to get it into the seasonal vaccine." 

Colonel Ortman said H1N1 is more severe than seasonal flu and can be even deadlier. 

"Seasonal flu kills about 36,000 people a year just in the U.S.," he said. "That's in spite of all the vaccinations. With this strain, there are estimates that there will be a couple of hundred thousand deaths. 

People who do contract the flu should stay home and take care of themselves, Colonel Ortman said. 

"Take care of yourself, stay hydrated and get plenty of rest," he said. "If you're that ill with the flu, you need to stay home so you don't spread it to others." 

Colonel Ortman said people would be doing their offices a favor by not coming into work.
"Social distancing to prevent the spread is very helpful and allows you to recuperate and rest," he said.