The Alabama Department of Public Health is assisting in the federal H1N1 Vaccine Recovery Program. Information on the program has been sent to all medical providers who ordered H1N1 vaccine through the department in 2009 and 2010.

There are two phases of returning vaccine planned. Phase one involves vaccine which has now expired. This vaccine was supplied from three different pharmaceutical companies. The department is expected to ship 78,000 doses back to the federal government in this phase. Phase two involves returning remaining doses of vaccine in late July and early August. This H1N1 vaccine was supplied by a fourth pharmaceutical company. The department will ship back 92,000 doses in this phase.

"The recovery program is intended to remove doses of monovalent H1N1 vaccine before the seasonal influenza vaccine comes to provider offices," said Winkler Sims, director of the Immunization Division. "This will decrease confusion with seasonal influenza vaccine which will become available in late August and early September to provide protection in the coming flu season."

The 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine will have the normal number of three flu strains, one of which will be H1N1 A/California. Individuals who were vaccinated with H1N1 vaccine will still need to be vaccinated with the seasonal flu vaccine to have protection from all three strains that are expected to be circulating during the next flu season.

Source:
Alabama Department of Public Health