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Our View: H1N1, seasonal flu efforts noteworthy
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Green County Health Department officials, and members of area emergency management, Monroe school district and Monroe Clinic should be recognized for how they are handling this year's flu season, given the added pressure of a potentially explosive spread of the H1N1 flu virus and the slow growing vaccine to help treat it; not to mention most of the area's seasonal flu vaccine is depleted or spent.The four parties have formed a community planning committee to monitor updates and stay in contact regarding information from the state Department of Health Services, and even pool resources of H1N1 flu vaccine when it becomes available. "The nice thing with working with the Monroe Clinic, we can share," said RoAnn Warden, health officer with the Green County Health Department, in an interview with the Times last week.The four sectors of the community have a daunting task in controlling the response to the high demand for seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine shortage. On Sept. 30, Green County Health Department ordered 6,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine, but only received about 200, Warden said.The health department along with members of the committee were wise to heed the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for dispersing what H1N1 flu vaccine the agencies do have.