Hundreds lined up at the old Goody’s location in the Village Center Mall for their H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination on Wednesday. The Harlan County Health Department (HCHD), in collaboration with the Harlan County Emergency Management Service and Harlan EMS, conducted their first mass clinic/exercise for Harlan County.

First in line was 51-year-old Pamela Jackson from Dayhoit. Jackson, sitting in a wheelchair, said she had been the first one to arrive at 7 a.m.

“I am here with my daughter and two grandchildren,” said Jackson. “I have underlying health problems and am anxious to get my shot. That’s why I came so early. I didn’t want to risk not getting one.”

The line spread almost the full length of the mall. Harlan County Sheriff Department deputies were on hand for crowd control. People were entering the building five at a time.

Scott Holbrook, a 49-year-old Pikeville resident, stood near the end of the line. Holbrook said he worked as a coal miner in Harlan County and wanted to get the vaccination as soon as it was available. Holbrook said that he had underlying health problems and could not afford to get sick and miss work.

After receiving their vaccination, people were required to sit and wait approximately 15 minutes to ensure there were no adverse reactions to the vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this week 22.4 million doses of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine were available for shipment to health care providers. The CDC said, eventually, there will be enough vaccine for all who want to get vaccinated.

The Harlan County Health Department (HCHD) distributed two types of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations. The nasal spray, a live attenuated intranasal vaccine (LAIV), that is sprayed into the nose. The HCHD said the 2009 H1N1 LAIV does not contain thimerosal or other preservatives. It is licensed for people from 2 years of age through 49 years of age who are not pregnant and do not have certain health conditions. The vaccine virus is attenuated (weakened) so it will not cause illness.

According to the HCHD you should not get the 2009 H1N1 LAIV if you have a severe (life threatening) allergy to eggs, or to any other substance in the vaccine.

The other H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination that was available was the flu shot, inactivated vaccine (vaccine that has killed virus in it). The virus in inactivated 2009 H1N1 vaccine has been killed, so you cannot get influenza from the vaccine. The H1N1 (swine flu) shot is injected into the muscle, like the seasonal flu shot. Some inactivated 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine contains a preservative called thimerosal to keep it free from germs. According to HCHD brochure, some people have suggested that thimerosal might be related to autism. The HCHD reports in 2004, a group of experts at the Institute of Medicine reviewed this study and found no evidence to support this theory.

The HCHD said children through the age of 9 should get two doses of the H1N1(swine flu) vaccine, about a month apart. Older children and adults need only one dose.

“The clinic went well,” said Kathy Fields, Public Health Director III Cumberland Valley District Health Department. “During the first hour of the clinic we vaccinated 125 individuals. As vaccine becomes more available, more Mass Vaccination Clinics will be held in the county.”

The CDC continues to remind people to wash their hands, use alcohol-based hand gel, cover your cough and stay at home if you are sick.

For the latest news and updates, you may call the H1N1 (swine flu) Hotline tollfree at 1-877-843-7727, daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or go to the flu.gov and healthalerts.ky.gov Web pages.