From the Doc: H1N1 Update

So what’s new on the H1N1 front? Well with great effort from all of our military treatment facilities and staff we have been able to immunize nearly 90% of all our active duty and those of our family members who are at highest risk. Our supply of vaccine from Health and Human Services is finally coming into Europe in incremental shipments. To date we have received over 26,000 doses and expect additional shipments of more than 100,000 doses after the 1st of the year. We would like to encourage our family members to continue to bring their children in to get immunized. While vaccine supplies are available, no one who wants it will be turned away.

The H1N1 vaccine has shown effectiveness by dropping the rates of flu like illness in our active duty members by as much as 80% in some units. While the WHO (World Health Organization) is cautiously optimistic that we may have reached the peak, we still should exercise good hygiene, get vaccinated and avoid those who are sick, especially during holiday travel. I wish you all the best of health during the holiday season.

(Col Dave Schall is the European Command Surgeon. He has served in this capacity for over three years. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. He has a Masters in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified in Aerospace/Preventive Medicine as well as Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. He completed a Fellowship in Otology/Neurotology Skull base surgery.)