http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-863388.mp3
Topeka, KS – Kansas health officials announced today that the state will receive its first shipment of swine flu vaccine in the coming days.
Vaccinations should begin next week for the initial target groups, which include pregnant women, young children and health care workers.
The first allotment will be 16,000 doses.
State Health Director Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips says this is just a small step towards meeting the needs of the most vulnerable groups.
"They make up almost half the population of this state," Eberhart-Phillips said. "And at the best projections we have about supply of vaccine, it won't be until sometime around Christmas or New Years until there's been enough shipped to Kansas to meet that demand."
Eberhart-Phillips believes the state is in line to receive more than 3 million doses of swine flu vaccine.
He says Kansans should continue to use basic hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus.
The state will distribute the doses based on county populations, but some of the state's least populated counties won't get any vaccine in this initial shipment.
