H1N1 vaccination clinics for pregnant women at the IWK

Just received this information from the IWK about H1N1 vaccination clinics for pregnant women:

As a result of increased prevalence of H1N1 in Nova Scotia, Capital District Public Health has partnered with the IWK Health Centre to offer vaccination clinics for pregnant women on Thursday, October 29th and Friday October 30th. The clinics will take place in the O.E. Smith Auditorium at the IWK Health Centre.

Women at any stage of pregnancy may attend and are asked to bring their Nova Scotia health card if they have one. The clinics will operate from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm each day. Parking may be limited, so please allow plenty of time or make arrangements to be dropped off and picked-up.

Dr. Robert Strang, Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia, recommends that women in the second half of their pregnancy and women with chronic health conditions who are at any stage of pregnancy should receive the adjuvanted vaccine as soon as reasonably possible. These women are at highest risk of complications from H1N1 and seasonal flu.

Healthy pregnant women in the first half of their pregnancy are at lower risk of complications, and may choose to wait to receive the unadjuvanted vaccine. Unadjuvanted vaccine will be available in Nova Scotia next week.

H1N1 vaccine is available free of charge to all Nova Scotians who want it. H1N1 clinic dates and times across the province are available at www.gov.ns.ca/H1N1 or through HealthLink 811.

Over the next several weeks, Capital Health's Public Health Services will lead the largest vaccination campaign ever to take place in Nova Scotia, immunizing hundreds of thousands of people against H1N1 influenza. A complete schedule of H1N1 and seasonal vaccination clinics from now until December is posted at www.cdha.nshealth.ca and www.iwk.nshealth.ca.