Vaccines for the novel strain of H1N1 influenza should arrive in Lampasas County by mid-October.

Carol Davis, epidemiologist for the Texas Department of State Health Services, met last week with several municipal, county and school officials to discuss H1N1 and state vaccination efforts related to the new strain of flu.

Town hall-style informational meetings are planned for today at 6 p.m. at the Lometa School cafeteria and Thursday at 10 a.m. in the district courtroom at the county courthouse. Another meeting will be Thursday at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at the former Lampasas Middle School.

In addition, DSHS vaccination clinics are planned for October, with dates to be announced. DSHS officials would like to conduct clinics on two different days in Lampasas County, Ms. Davis said, and the health department will encourage health care providers to vaccinate on those days, as well. DSHS officials also likely will offer vaccination events at area schools, Ms. Davis said.

At the health department clinics, shots for seasonal and H1N1 flu, along with the pneumococcal vaccine -- which protects against pneumonia and bacterial meningitis -- will be offered. Suggested donation amounts probably will range from $10 to $20, and vaccines will be available to people who do not have health insurance, Ms. Davis said.

Ms. Davis invited as many as 24 volunteers -- who do not need medical experience -- to help at the shot clinics by greeting participants and helping them register.

Although the epidemiologist urged residents not to panic about H1N1 flu, she noted that because the new strain emerged in Texas in April, Americans have much less immunity to H1N1 than to the four common varieties of seasonal flu.

"This strain is so new that we expect many people to get it," she said.

The projected number of flu-related deaths and hospitalizations is higher for the upcoming flu season than during most years not because H1N1 is more dangerous than common strains, the health official said, but simply because limited immunity to the new strain means the virus may infect large numbers of people.

"This is very similar to seasonal flu," Ms. Davis said. "The risk is similar, and the disease is similar."

People don't need to worry, she added, as long as they take sensible precautions.

"We want people to be concerned enough to get vaccinated, wash their hands, cover their cough and stay home [if they develop flu-like symptoms]," Ms. Davis said. "If they do those things they should be all right even before the vaccines get here."

Most people who become infected with the H1N1 virus get the usual flu symptoms -- coughing, a sore throat, fatigue and high fever -- and suffer only mild to moderate sickness, Ms. Davis said.

"People can stay home, stay hydrated and get better," she said.

Flu patients should not leave home, the epidemiologist said, until they remain fever-free for 24 hours in a row without the aid of medicine.

Jamie Jones, director of health services for the Lampasas Independent School District, noted the district has seen only a small number of flu cases. Those illnesses have been mild, she said.

As a precaution, however, Ms. Davis encouraged all residents to get a seasonal flu shot as soon as possible. H1N1 vaccines are being prioritized for the following "high-risk" groups, as classified by state health officials:

• people with cancer, asthma or other respiratory problems, heart or kidney disease, or other chronic medical conditions.

• young children, as well as those who live or work with children six months of age or younger.

• pregnant women.

People ages 65 and older do not seem particularly susceptible to H1N1 flu, Ms. Davis said. Some health officials have speculated that strains similar to H1N1 may have circulated several years ago, she said.

Although state officials ordered H1N1 vaccines on the assumption that people would need two doses, early data from clinical trials in the summer indicate people older than 10 years may need only one dose.

"That's good news, because since our plans were based on two doses, we should have extra vaccine," she said.

The H1N1 vaccine was developed by the same manufacturers, following the same safety procedures, that created seasonal flu shots, Ms. Davis said.

"It is the same process and everything, and should have the same safety record," the epidemiologist said.

Those who have received FluMist nasal sprays need to wait 28 days before getting an H1N1 vaccine, Ms. Davis said. There is no waiting period after receiving a shot to innoculate against seasonal flu.