It’s as if the tables have turned.

Earlier this year the availability of the H1N1 flu — or swine flu — vaccine was in high demand but there weren’t enough doses for everyone but the most at-risk groups. At the same time, thousands of people were becoming ill with the new strain of influenza which especially can be hard on children and young adults.

Now, seven months after the first swine flu case appeared in the United States it seems health officials and the public are getting a handle on the new flu as cases continue to decline and the availability of the vaccine increases.

In fact, as of Dec. 18, swine flu vaccine — the nasal mist version and shot version — is now being made available to nearly everyone.

In South Carolina, both versions of the vaccine became available to the general public as of Monday, Dec. 21.

State Department of Health and Environmental Control Chief Dr. Jerry Gibson announced last Friday the H1N1 flu vaccine is now available to all South Carolinians who want to receive it.

“The supply of both the H1N1 shot and the nasal mist have become more plentiful in recent weeks and we want to make it available to as many people as possible through both private healthcare providers and at DHEC clinics,” Gibson said in a release.

H1N1 flu shots are available to anyone ages six months and older and the nasal mist version is available for all healthy, non-pregnant people ages 2-49 years. DHEC and private providers also are continuing to offer nasal spray vaccine clinics.

“In the past month, supplies of H1N1 vaccine have doubled, virus activity has declined and monitoring for adverse events so far has shown no increased likelihood of serious adverse reactions,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden in a letter to state health department officers dated Dec. 11.

Frieden and the CDC told state health departments across the country timing to release the additional vaccine to broader populations outside the at-risk groups would be left to them.

“We added more than 12 million additional doses available in the past week (prior to Dec. 10),” he said during a press briefing Dec. 10. “That brings us to 85 million doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine available. Many states have increased the eligibility, having met the demand in the five priority groups, to the general population and that’s consistent with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.”

The increase in availability of the H1N1 vaccine is a good development and the CDC and South Carolina DHEC remind people the best way to protect against the new influenza strain is to be vaccinated. Especially for those targeted groups listed by the CDC.

The CDC estimates, as of Dec. 10, there have been nearly 50 million cases of the H1N1 flu in the United States in the last seven months since it first appeared here. More than 200,000 have been hospitalized due to the new flu virus. The H1N1 flu also has killed nearly 10,000 people.

“That’s much higher than in a usual flu season,” Frieden said during the Dec. 10 press briefing.

That means about 15 percent of the entire U.S. population — or one in six people — has been infected with H1N1 influenza since May.

“That still leaves most people not having been infected and still remaining susceptible to H1N1 influenza,” Frieden said.

“We encourage you to get vaccinated now so that your body will have time to build resistance to the H1N1 flu virus as we head into the heart of the flu season this winter,” Gibson said.

The Union County Public Health Department already is offering nasal spray H1N1 vaccine clinics on Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment only. Anyone interested in getting that version or the shot version of the vaccine is encouraged to contact the department in Union and set up an appointment.

People also are encouraged to talk with their healthcare providers when it comes to getting the vaccine.

“Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if the vaccine is available there,” Gibson said. “We also encourage providers to vaccinate outside the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention target groups as their supplies permit.”

South Carolina DHEC public health departments will be closed for state holidays on Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 28 but will reopen next week on Tuesday at regular time.

And Gibson anticipates having even more vaccine available after the first of the year.

“We anticipate additional vaccine supplies to arrive in January and will plan more community H1N1 vaccine clinics accordingly,” he said. “In addition to these sites, in January, DHEC will continue its school-based vaccination clinics to reach as many children as possible.”

CDC TARGETED GROUPS:

While the H1N1 vaccine now is available to anyone in South Carolina, there are still those at-risk groups the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says should get vaccinated. Those targeted groups are:

• Children six months to 17 years of age.

• Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than six months of age.

• Pregnant women.

• Young adults ages 18-24.

• People 25-64 years old who have health conditions that put them at a higher risk of medical complications from flu, such as those with heart disease or other chronic illnesses like asthma.

• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel.

FOR MORE INFO:

• Get the latest news and information on the H1N1 and seasonal flus by visiting www.scdhec.gov/flu or www.flu.gov.

SET UP AN APPOINTMENT:

• Anyone ages 6 months and older is now able to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu. Contact the Union County Public Health Department at (864) 429-1690 or stop by the office at 115 Thomas St. in Union to set up an appointment. Staffers are available 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Also, ask your private healthcare provider if they have the vaccine available.