New Brunswick – Statement from chief medical officer of health: H1N1 flu clinics update

Oct. 28, 2009

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following statement was issued today by Dr. Eilish Cleary, chief medical officer of health:

The Province of New Brunswick has launched its H1N1 flu immunization program. The government has ensured that sufficient H1N1 influenza vaccine will be available to protect every resident this flu season. The vaccine will be provided free to all New Brunswickers aged six months and older.The clinics listed on www.gnb.ca/flu or through the toll-free flu information telephone number, are for priority groups. If you are not a member of a priority group, we ask that you wait until clinics open for the public. It is important that we all work together to protect those most vulnerable, and we appreciate your co-operation.

The priority groups include:

• people younger than 65 with chronic medical conditions;
• children aged six months to younger than five years;
• pregnant women;
• schoolchildren;
• people of Aboriginal ancestry;
• health-care workers;
• postpartum women (women who have had a baby in the last six weeks); and
• household contacts, or those who care for either an infant under six months old or an immunocompromised person.

The information, including dates, times, locations, and eligible groups for H1N1 clinics is available by region at www.gnb.ca/flu This site will be updated continually to include clinics scheduled throughout the months of November and December. These clinic listings will be clearly labelled as the vaccine is extended to other groups, as well as to the general public.

We ask for the public’s co-operation and patience as we hold these clinics throughout the province. There will enough vaccine for every New Brunswicker who chooses to be vaccinated.

Please continue to check our website or call 1-800-580-0038 for weekly H1N1 vaccine clinic listings.

The Department of Health also asks the assistance of media outlets in distributing this updated bulletin.

09/10/28

MEDIA CONTACT: Danielle Phillips, media relations, H1N1 Pandemic, Department of Health, 506-444-3821; flumedia[at]gnb.ca