The Effingham County Health Department, in conjunction with the Effingham County School System and other agencies, successfully vaccinated more than 2,000 citizens against the H1N1 flu over the past several months.

Strong community partnerships allowed us to initiate a successful H1N1 flu vaccination campaign for the residents of Effingham County,” said Effingham County Health Department Nurse Manager Cindy Grovenstein. “I am proud of the Effingham County Health Department staff for stepping up to the plate and working hard to protect our citizens from this new strain of flu.”

The Effingham County Health Department and Effingham County School System collaborated to provide the H1N1 vaccine to students. Nurses from the Health Department and school system worked together to vaccinate more than 800 Effingham County school students from pre-k through 12th grade.

In addition, the Health Department held several successful independent vaccination clinics.

Right now is a window of opportunity for more people to get vaccinated against H1N1 flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to encourage people to get vaccinated throughout the flu season, which can last as late as May. Parents also are encouraged to ensure that children younger than 10 years old get two doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine.

Additionally, with spring break coming up and large number of students expected to travel both domestically and internationally, vaccination of college age students, who have been hard-hit by illness during this pandemic, continues to be recommended.

For more information on H1N1 flu vaccine availability, call the Effingham County Health Department at 754-6484.