I know many of you are in a panic about you or your kids getting H1N1 or as the media has dubbed it, “swine flu”.  To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is the question for many but after talking to my kids’ pediatricians, reading more about the vaccine and hearing more about the ramifications if you get hit hard by the swine flu, I’ve decided that the vaccine is the best way to go for our family.  Of course, now that I’ve made this decision we are left, as many of you are, in limbo since the vaccine is either not available at our doctor’s offices or it’s only available through the county health departments.  Some health departments only have the nasal vaccine, some have the injectable vaccine and the nasal vaccine but first you have to qualify as high risk to even get the vaccine.  My four year old, S, needs to have the injectable vaccine and she’s considered “high risk” so I knew I had to find that vaccine.

Last night, I was working on the computer (big surprise) and also had the news on in the background. My ears perked up when I heard Jack Atherton talk about Butler County Health Department having a flu clinic at the Butler County Fairgrounds on Friday, Oct. 23.  They were offering both the nasal and injectable vaccines and you didn’t have to be a Butler County resident to attend.  They encouraged you to register online in advance so that’s what I did. The clinic would open at 10am. Okay, I had a plan.

S and I headed off to the City of Hamilton early this morning and as we pulled into the fairgrounds, cars were streaming in from all directions.  The parking lot was almost full at 9:45am.  I should have known we were in for a long wait, as I saw a long line of people and a sea of umbrellas that snaked through the fairgrounds.  I couldn’t even see which building they were doing the vaccines in.    I thought I was prepared – I had packed a backpack of books, toys, crayons and coloring books along with some snacks and drinks.  I should have brought a stroller for S as well as a warmer coat, a change of clothes, towels, a bigger umbrella and my sanity. 

The first hour of waiting wasn’t too bad.  The rain was only misting and the line seemed to move.  S was content but kept wondering what we were doing in this big line and why they didn’t have the carnival rides out for her. The second hour was the worst.  It was a bit surreal – I felt like I was on the set of some big block buster movie on flu pandemics but then reality hit - S was getting cold, tired and hungry. The line seemed to move more slowly and then the rain came.  It started to downpour.  I was left with a quandary – do I bail out now or do we wait it out.  S was starting to melt down and I was worried that staying out in the cold damp rain would be a great way to make her sick so we bailed.   As we made the long walk back to the mini-van, we passed countless families – many with teeny tiny infants, screaming toddlers and miserable parents.  A lot of them were ill prepared for their long wait ahead and I empathized with their plight. The misery, the agony, the wait……….

When I got home, I opened up an article, “Overwhelming Response to H1N1 closes fairgrounds” from the Pulse Journal and realized that we were part of the “overwhelming response”.  I guess Butler County did not realize they would have such an enormous amount of people wanting to get the vaccine.  I wonder how many other people gave up and headed for home and if my line mates ever got to see the “Promised Land”. To further add to my increasing sense of unease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), documents how many vaccines are sent to each state and if you look at the numbers there is definitely not enough vaccines for all the people who may want it.  As of 10/21/09, Ohio has only had “434,500” doses shipped. 

My other daughter, K, is supposed to get vaccinated through Mason City Schools and I sure hope the Warren County Health Department is able to secure enough vaccines for the more than 5000 students who have registered for it.  Tomorrow, Warren County has a vaccination clinic at the Warren County Fairgrounds from 9am-11am and they will be offering the flu mist vaccine.  Please click here to see if you qualify for the vaccine. My advice is to get there early and be prepared (strollers, food, water, baby wipes, toys, warm clothes, umbrellas, etc.). 

I hope you and your family stay healthy this year and if you know where I can get the vaccine, let me know.