Student Health Services is still waiting for the H1N1 vaccine to become available. The vaccines, expected to be available in mid-October, are still on hold for both students and the public.   

According to the North Carolina Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, which was last updated Oct. 5, the vaccine will be available in the fall. The Web site said the CDC could not provide more specific dates due to the variability of manufacturing time and clinical trials.  

Jerry Barker, director of Student Health Services, said that H1N1 nasal spray has been distributed to high priority groups, as identified by the CDC, but that none of the treatments are available to N.C. State yet.  

“CDC says distribution should begin in a week or two but again may be restricted in numbers and to high priority locations such as hospitals,” Barker said of the vaccine. “We will post H1N1 shots clinics as soon as possible when we receive the vaccine.”

The CDC suggests that certain groups of people get the vaccine as soon as it is available. The department identified those groups as people who live with or care for children younger than six months, pregnant women, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of six months and 24 years and people between the ages of 25 and 64 who are at higher risk for H1N1 due to chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.  

While some students are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the vaccines, not everybody plans on getting the vaccine. Kelly Price, a junior majoring in biology, does not get the regular flu vaccine and does not plan on getting the H1N1 vaccine either.  

“It is important for the vaccine to be available to students especially with the second half of the semester coming up. It is important for students to stay healthy and not have to miss classes,” Price said. “I probably won’t get the shot but I think others should have the opportunity.”

When the vaccine does become available, H1N1 shot clinics will be administered by Maxim nurses, an agency with which the University has a contract.  

“We are working on campus to get the shot administration cost as low as possible and hopefully it will be finalized by the end of the week,” Barker said.  

Students can refer to the Health Services Web site at www.ncsu.edu/student_health for updates on the H1N1 vaccine.