The Paulding County Health Department has received 800 doses of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine and is offering it free on a walk-in basis to healthy individuals age 2-24 except pregnant women, healthy health care workers up to age 49 and healthy people up to age 49 caring for children under six months old.

The Health Department received the first doses of intranasal H1N1 vaccine last week but few have been administered thus far, said Northwest Georgia Public Health district public information officer Logan Boss.

The district received 3,500 initial doses of the nasal spray vaccine last week.

“I wish we’d received more initially,” said district Health Director Dr. Wade Sellers, “but vaccine quantities are limited in this first shipment and are in the form of a nasal spray vaccine known as LAIV, or live attenuated influenza vaccine. We’re asking the public to be patient as the vaccine beings to trickle through the distribution pipeline down to the county level.

“We expect to begin receiving the inactivated injectable form of the vaccine later in October, and eventually, there will be plenty of H1N1 vaccine, enough for everyone who wants it to receive it.”

Boss said intranasal vaccine sprays for seasonal flu have been available four to five years and that recipients cannot contract either H1N1 or season influenza from vaccine sprays or injections. He said the district expects plentiful supplies of the H1N1 vaccine, including injectable doses, by the end of the month.

“Hospitals may have a small quantity to give to high-priority employees, but I don’t believe private physicians have gotten it yet,” said Boss. “This is early in the process, but it’s still trickling in. The manufacturers have turned on the spigot, and it’s coming in in dribs and drabs.”

The initial supply was reserved for young children, a population that spreads the virus and is most at risk for hospitalization if infected. The nasal spray is effective for healthy individuals age 2 to 49.

Health officials say the nasal spray vaccine should not be given to:

• children who are receiving treatments containing aspirin;

• children with a sensitivity to eggs, egg proteins, gentamicin, gelatin, or arginine or have had life-threatening reactions to previous influenza vaccinations;

• children younger than 2 years old;

• children with asthma or children less than 4 years old with recurrent wheezing;

• children with health problems that predispose them to complications from flu;

• children who have a muscle, nerve, or seizure disorder that could lead to breathing or swallowing problems;

• and children who have a weakened immune system.

The federal government is supplying the vaccine free to county health departments, although administration fees may be charged to Medicaid or Medicare. Private providers will also be offering H1N1 vaccinations as additional doses become available.

The 2009 H1N1 vaccine provides no protection from seasonal flu, and health officials urge all Georgians to consider getting a seasonal flu vaccination this year. The H1N1 vaccine is free, while there is an $18 charge for seasonal flu vaccine.

Only one person in the 10-county health district has died from H1N1, said Boss — a 30-year-old Paulding County man “with underlying conditions” died Sept. 5.

“We expect H1N1 to become more pervasive,” Boss said, although most cases seen thus far are relatively mild. “Most people recover at home with rest and hydration and don’t need a doctor or emergency room, although you could feel pretty rotten for two days to a week.”

He said parents should be sensitive to key warning signs such as blue skin, trouble breathing, not drinking enough fluids, difficulty in awakening and irritability.

“Most cases of ‘swine flu’ are self-limiting and people get better at home,” he said.