The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

H1N1 vaccination clinics will start next week Halton residents can begin rolling up their sleeves to get their H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, vaccine shots starting Wednesday. Clinics will begin in Oakville on Wednesday, Oct. 28 for individuals who are at higher risk of complications from contracting H1N1. In addition, clinics will begin the week of Nov. 2 through mid-December for all Halton residents, including high-risk individuals who may not have attended the earlier clinics. The complete list of H1N1 flu clinics, with dates and times of operation, can be found online at www.halton.ca or by dialing 311, or calling 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-4425866 or TTY 905-827-9833. Check back frequently as information will be added and updated as it becomes available. Residents can also sign up for weekly email alerts of H1N1 immunization clinics running in their area. The Oakville clinics for high-risk, priority individuals are running at the Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Rd. on Oct. 2830 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Ontario Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care has identified that the priority groups include: · People under 65 with chronic medical conditions such as heart or lung disease · Pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy or at any time if they have another · Health care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health care services · People living in remote and isolated communities · Care providers or people who live with those who are at high risk of complications from H1N1 and who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines (such as family members of infants under six months old, or people who cannot receive vaccines.) Children from six months to nine years of age need two doses of the vaccine, administered at least 21 days apart. Residents should have their Ontario Health Card and/or driver's licence when attending a clinic. Residents should also advise the Region as soon as possible if they will need an accessibility or accommodation requirement at the clinic by dialing 311, or calling 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-442-5866 or TTY 905-827-9833 or e-mailing accesshalton@halton.ca. "There is increasing community spread of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus in Halton Region," said Dr. Bob Nosal, Halton Region's medical officer of health. "The vaccine is a safe and effective way to reduce the spread and impact of the illness in our community." H1N1 immunization clinics open to all Halton residents will be offered beginning the week of Nov. 2 through December. Clinics that have been set up, to date, are: · St. James Catholic School, 255 Morden Rd. -- Monday, Nov. 2 to Friday, Nov. 6, 4-8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. · Oakville Town Hall, North Atrium, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. -- Tuesday, Nov. 3 to Friday, Nov. 6, noon-8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m.4 p.m. · Halton Regional Centre, Auditorium at 1151 Bronte Rd. -- Saturday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 23, 2009 medical condition at the same time · Healthy children six months to under five years of age By Tina Depko Schools report rise in flu outbreaks majority of those hospitalized have been under the age of 20. The number of confirmed cases does not accurately represent the actual number of people with the virus in the region, as the province has asked that only people with severe symptoms and those at risk, such as pregnant women or those with an underlying chronic condition, get tested. The H1N1 virus hit Halton hard earlier this year, with 219 confirmed cases in spring and summer, with the majority of cases being school-aged children. Schools were major sites of transmission. Halton Region Health staff and the school board spent the summer preparing for OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF News of the arrival of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine in Halton comes as a number of schools across the region are reporting a second wave of outbreaks of the virus. There have been 17 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Halton since Sept. 1, according to Dr. Bob Nosal, Halton Region's medical officer of health. Of that number, 11 cases are under the age of 20. The remaining cases are those under the age of 50. There have been no deaths reported as a result of the virus this fall, but there have been seven hospitalizations. Nosal said See MoH page 10 Lighting JEWELLERY FOR YOUR HOME Voted #1 Lighting Store 2 Years in a row Readers Choice Awards LIGHTING FROM · CORBETT · TROY · HUDSON VALLEY · STONEGATE DESIGN · ARTCRAFT AND MUCH MORE C O R B E T T 243 Speers Road · Between Kerr & Dorval · Oakville, Ontario · 905.849.LITE (5483) www.conceptlighting.ca CONCEPT LIGHTING GALLERIES