Should prisoners get a shot at the H1N1 vaccine before the public?

By Diane Daniels (ddaniels@wsbt.com)

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H1N1 vaccine bottle

The H1N1 flu vaccine on a table before use. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

By Jason Overholt

Story Created: Nov 2, 2009 at 6:05 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 2, 2009 at 7:24 PM EST

The demand for the H1N1 vaccine continues to outstrip the supply in much of the area. That has prompted a closer look at how inmates may get the vaccine before some members of the general public.

Last week it was announced that prisoners at Gitmo would get the H1N1 vaccine, and other states throughout the country are also making it a priority to inoculate prison populations since the inmates live in such close proximity with one another, which makes it easier to spread the disease.

Elkhart parent Anna Zuniga drove to South Bend on Monday to have her children receive the H1N1 vaccine at a St. Joseph County Health Department immunization clinic.

"I was looking for H1N1 in Elkhart, and had to come all the way from Elkhart because we couldn't get it in Elkhart," she said.

In fact, Gwen Jaeger of the Elkhart County Health Department acknowledges that only one H1N1 immunization clinic has been held in the county for the public at large. That occurred on October 20. But 220 doses of the vaccine are being made available for inmates and staff at the Elkhart County Jail, according to Jaeger and Trevor Wendzonka of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department.

Wendzonka says the doses will be doled out soon based on the target groups that are being given high priority in the general public (people like pregnant women, healthy young people, and health care and emergency medical personnel).

“They are part of a target group. They’re contained. They can’t go anywhere to get the vaccine,” Jaeger said.

She says the doses will not target the entire population of the jail.

A second public flu vaccination clinic will be held in Elkhart County on Wednesday, November 4. It will be from 1 to 5 p.m. (or until the vaccine runs out) at 608 Oakland Avenue in Elkhart. Only the nasal mist version of the H1N1 vaccine will be distributed at this clinic.

St. Joseph County’s Inmates

In St. Joseph County, Barb Baker of the health Department says that jail officials have asked for H1N1 vaccine for their inmates and for people on the work-release program.

“They’re not higher on the list or lower on the list than any other group that we’re trying to take care of,” Baker said. “We have to look at all the populations. If they’re in that target group, it doesn’t matter where they live or where they’re housed.”

The young inmates at the Juvenile Justice Center in South Bend have not been immunized. However, an official there says the medical staff at the site will likely soon make a request for doses of the vaccine.

LaPorte County’s Vaccination Plan

In LaPorte County, health department official Joanne Hardacker says her agency will be responsible for supplying doses of the H1N1 vaccine to the state prison in Michigan City and the Westville Correctional Center.

“We will shuttle vaccine to the prison system once the supply opens up,” says Hardacker.

The LaPorte County Health Department has already provided immunizations at the Summit Farm, a state-run corrections site for juveniles. Hardacker says about a dozen doses were made available to the county juvenile detention center.

LaPorte County is holding four school-based H1N1 clinics this week. When asked why juvenile inmates in many cases are getting the vaccine before the county’s K-12 school kids, Hardacker said, “That’s a hard one.”

She says the juvenile inmate populations are smaller, and require fewer doses than the schools.

“We understand the confusion the public has with this,” Hardacker added.

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