Sharon Goforth

The injectable H1N1 vaccine will be available Sunday for children ages 6 months to 4 years old by appointment in Hamilton County, health officials said Friday.

Hamilton County is one of the first health departments in the area to receive the injectable vaccine, while Georgia health departments are still unsure when they will begin receiving it.

"Since this is the first injectable vaccine (in the area), we'll have a significant uptick (in people wanting the vaccine)," said the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department spokeswoman Jennifer Yim.

The injectable vaccine will be offered to children first because "this product is the only brand licensed for children 6 months to 4 years," she said.

Children with chronic illnesses or other health conditions in the appropriate age group still can get the injectable vaccine, said Sharon Goforth, the health department's special project supervisor. The injectable form only contains small pieces of dead virus, so it's not dangerous to these groups, she said.

That's not the case with the H1N1 FluMist nasal vaccine, which has been available in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia since last week. The nasal vaccine is a weakened version of the live virus, so health departments will not "take the chance to cause a problem" by giving it to unhealthy children, Ms. Goforth said.

"Both of these vaccines are going to trigger their immune systems to produce those protective antibodies," she said, explaining the nasal vaccine is not a risk for healthy children and adults.

On Friday, the health department received 1,300 doses of the injectable vaccine, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, and appointments for Sunday can be made today by calling between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Ms. Yim said.

The Eastgate Town Center vaccination clinic location will begin giving the vaccines on Sunday for those who made appointments, she said.

The health department continues to receive shipments of the nasal vaccine and make appointments for its administration, Ms. Yim said.

In Georgia, some of the 10 counties in the Northwest Georgia Public Health district "have received very small quantities" of the injectable vaccine for health care workers, according to health department's spokesman Logan Boss.

"We expect to get more injectable (vaccines) at the end of next week," he said.

VACCINATIONS

* Appointments for Sunday can be made by phone today from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

* Call the health department hotline at 209-8393

* Vaccines begin Sunday at the Eastgate Town Center vaccination clinic location by appointment only

* Children from 6 months to 4 years old are eligible for the vaccine