Landlæknisembættið - Directorate of Health

22.10.2009

Appointments for vaccination against A(H1N1)v 2009 influenza

As of today, 22 October, the primary health-care centres will accept requests for appointments from patients with underlying diseases and pregnant women for vaccination against the A(H1N1)v 2009 influenza.

The vaccinations will start Monday, 2 November 2009, and it will take approximately four weeks to vaccinate the whole group – more than fifty thousand people.

At several primary health-care centres it will, however, be possible to begin the vaccinations before the end of October, i.e. in areas that have finished vaccinating health care workers and people belonging to so-called security groups (police, fire service, civil protection, etc.). The primary health-care centres in question will advertise their own vaccination plans.

Strain on the telephone system
The telephone system at the health-care centres is expected to be under a heavy strain today and in the next few days. People are therefore kindly requested to show patience and understanding during these unusual circumstances.

Physicians treating patients with the conditions listed below are expected to encourage their patients to be vaccinated and give them a special letter of confirmation to present at the health-care centres at the time of vaccination. Those who have been diagnosed with any of the listed conditions can, however, request a vaccination appointment at a health-care centre, even though they do not have such a letter of confirmation.

 Underlying diseases refer to the following:

• Serious heart conditions (heart failure and serious congenital heart diseases)
• Serious respiratory diseases that need continuous prophylactic medication (including asthma)
• Metabolic disorders (insulin dependent diabetes, corticosteroid deficiency)
• Neurological disorders that may compromise respiration
• Serious kidney dysfunction
• Serious liver diseases (cirrhosis)
• Obesity (>40 in body mass index)
• Immunodeficiency (such as due to cancer therapy and transplant recipients)

Chief Epidemiologist for Iceland