Feb. 11--TRAVERSE CITY -- The Petty household remains free of body aches, fever, coughs and sneezes.
And Angie Petty wants to keep it that way. She plans to ensure her children receive a second dose of the H1N1 vaccine, recommended by physicians to fend off the so-called swine flu strain that sickened thousands nationwide over the past year.
"We got the first one, so we might as well get them fully protected," said Petty, of Traverse City. "It's just a matter of popping in there."
Her three children -- 12, 8 and 1 -- were forced to wait until December for their first dose because of a local vaccine shortage. Health officials said children under age 10 should receive two doses, administered about a month apart, to fight the bug.
"That month is really important," said Lori Wesolowski, a nurse with the Grand Traverse County Health Department. "We try to get them to wait at least 28 days. When you wait a little longer, you get a better booster effect."
The local health department vaccinated at least 3,500 children under age 10, and a little more than 100 of them -- or less than three percent -- have yet to return for a second dose. Statewide, about 65 percent of vaccinated children haven't yet received a second vaccination.
Families of the 117 local children were mailed notices about the importance of a second dose, Wesolowski said.
"We are worried about that third wave (of swine flu)," she said. "If we do our job right, hopefully we won't see a third wave."
Recent laboratory results show an increase in the amount of positive H1N1 strains, and a majority of them involve adults.
"Some people got the notion that older folks didn't need to get it at all," said Fred Keeslar, local health department director.
The health department initially focused vaccination efforts on local schools because of an upswing in absenteeism. Administrators in two Grand Traverse County public school systems sent well over 10,000 students home for a week in late October because of a swine flu outbreak. Other districts in northern Michigan also temporarily closed to stem the spread of swine flu.
Schools since have seen a drop in absenteeism, but health officials continue to monitor the bug.
"We're still doing a daily report with the local schools," said Kim White, a nurse with the local health department. "There's still a good deal of illness out there."
Heath department officials continue to offer walk-in clinics in order to prevent another outbreak, the first of which caused three deaths in the region.
"It certainly wouldn't be a surprise if we had a little outbreak again," said Dr. Michael Collins, medical director for the Grand Traverse and Benzie-Leelanau District health departments. "We've got plenty (of vaccine), and would really like to have a higher proportion of people immunized."
The region might not have seen the last of the swine flu. Health officials urge locals to receive the H1N1 vaccine, if they have not already done so. Vaccination locations include:
-- Grand Traverse County Health Department, Public Services Building, 2650 LaFranier Road -- 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through March.
-- Grand Traverse County Health Department, Personal Health, 2325 Garfield Road -- 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays through March.
-- Munson Healthcare, Urgent Care, 550 Munson Ave. -- 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
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