State health officials are warning people about the continued threat of H1N1.With seven H1N1 related deaths in the past month, and plenty of vaccine available, officials are urging people to get their vaccinations as soon as possible. Below are some vaccination information:

Flu vaccinations are available in Durham County at the Durham County Health Department :

* Seasonal Influenza vaccine clinics are every MWF from 8:30 am-11:00 am and from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm as long as supply last.
* The clinic is closed the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.
For more information about the seasonal flu vaccine, call the Durham County Flu Shot Information Line at (919) 560-7378. For Individual health related questions, please contact your primary health care provider.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Availability

H1N1 flu vaccinations are available at the Health Department.

M, W, Th, & F 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p. m.
• Clinic closed the first Wednesday afternoon of each month.

Free vaccines; Free parking
Walk-in or call 919-560-7882 for an appointment!

The clinic is located at 414 East Main Street, Durham

Wake County has scheduled free H1N1 vaccine clinics with the last one in February on this Saturday:

Saturday, February 27
10 a.m. to2 p.m.
W.E.B. DuBois CommunityDevelopment Corp.
150-A North White St., Wake Forest

The Eastern Regional Center is administering vaccinations by Appointment Only; Call 404-3900 to get an appointment any day during the week

Eastern RegionalCenter,1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon
For more information, call 919-212-7000.

Another round of H1N1 vaccination clinics have been scheduled in Wake County for next week. The immunizations are free and open to anyone 6 months old or older.

The Clinics are as follows:

Monday, 1/11

• Wake County Health Dept – 10 Sunnybrook Rd. in Raleigh – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Millbrook Human Services Center, 2809 E. Millbrook Road – 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 1/ 12

• Whitaker Mill Senior Center, 401 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 13

• Wake Southern Regional Center, 130 N. Judd Parkway, Fuquay-Varina3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wake Northern Regional Center, 350 East Holding Ave., Wake Forest – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wake Eastern Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 14

• Wake Public Health Center, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 15

• Hope Chapel Church, 6175 Old Jenks Road, Apex – 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information go to www.wakegov.com/flu or call 919-212-7000.

Two N.C. farms have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The animals have been under the care of private veterinarians and have recovered. Vets say it’s not unexpected to find the swine flu in a herd of pigs and they are subject to the flu just like humans and most likely these pigs caught the virus from humans. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people cannot contract H1N1 from handling or consuming pork or pork products and that it’s safe to eat pork from swine that have been infected.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved GlaxoSmith Kline’s version of its H1N1 pandemic vaccine.More than 7 million doses of this vaccine will be delivered to the U.S. in December. The vaccine is the unadjuvanted vaccine for use in adults.

A Durham company is developing an intravenous drug for patients with the flu who are critically ill. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has developed the experimental drug, Peramivir, which could be a tool to battle the H1N1 pandemic.

A recent study by the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology estimated that the virus could send nearly 300,000 patients into intensive care this season. Other anti-viral medications being used to treat flu patients are either aerosols that are inhaled or pills or liquids that are ingested. Because the flu attacks the lungs and sometimes inhibits digestion, those medications aren’t as effective as an IV.

BioCryst received fast-track approval in 2006 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop the drug and is working with an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a $180 million grant to complete clinical trials.

There’s no projection on when the drug could receive final approval. Still, the FDA has allowed a handful of physicians nationwide to obtain the drug under a “compassionate use” basis for flu patients after other treatments have failed.