River Valley Pediatrics

531 Central Park Avenue, Suite 102
Scarsdale, NY 10583

Phone (914) 472-3333
Fax (914) 472-7247

H1N1 (Swine) Flu

Novel Influenza A (otherwise known as H1N1 or swine flu) was first isolated in the United States in April of 2009. It was formed by recombination of genetic material between influenza viruses from humans, pigs, and birds. The virus is now infecting humans and can be spread from person-to-person. The H1N1 flu is spread in the same way the regular flu is spread: via secretions such as coughs and sneezes from an infected person. Since it is a new virus, most people will not have immunity and will be susceptible. The regular influenza vaccine is not effective against the H1N1 virus. A separate vaccine against the H1N1 virus is being distributed by the Department of Health.

Since there may be a limited number of doses available (especially in the fall), the following priority list has been compiled by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact
• Children 6 months through 2 years of age
• Children 2 through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions
• Children ages 2 through 18 years

There are several ways to protect yourself and your children from this virus. Frequent hand-washing is the most important intervention that you can practice. Avoiding people with fevers and coughs is also important. Children should not attend school or play with other children if they have a fever or significant cough.

If your child has a fever, cough, body aches, sore throat, or other symptoms that concern you, call our office. We will be happy to discuss your child's health and answer any other questions you might have. If we examine your child and feel that there is a medical indication, we can test them for the influenza virus. Our in-office test can distinguish between Influenza A and Influenza B but cannot diagnose the H1N1 virus. As of this update (10/10/09), the health department will only test specimens for the H1N1 virus if the patient is significantly ill (i.e. requires hospitalization).

We will be receiving shipments of the H1N1 vaccine starting around 10/15/09. We have not been told how many doses we will be receiving, or in how many shipments. It is likely that we will receive small shipments over a period of several months. We will be following the above priority list as established by the CDC. Please be patient, as we are trying to protect those children that are the most vulnerable first. We will continue to update the website as significant new information becomes available. For daily updated information you can visit the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov.