Editor's note: In an effort to provide accurate and timely information on H1N1 activity, area health departments have offered to provide a weekly update on flu activity as well as information on vaccination clinics and precautions. This column will appear each Sunday.

As of this writing, local health departments and schools continue to monitor absentee rates as a good way to watch flu activity in the communities.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health receives regular information from certain health care facilities within the Commonwealth called sentinel sites. These monitoring sites are reporting that the incidence of flu-like illness continues to rise. Residents should assume that H1N1 influenza is now present in their communities, schools, and work places, and should take appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

H1N1 vaccine continues to arrive in the region, but in small quantities. Those medical facilities receiving vaccine are required to distribute it in accordance with the priorities set by the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Public entities also must conform to these priorities, but have not yet received enough vaccine to plan clinics.

Public clinics will not be scheduled before the end of November. When available, details will be provided on a weekly basis to assist the general public in finding a nearby clinic. Thus far, only about 10 percent of the allocated vaccine has been shipped to the state.

Vaccine safety continues to be a topic of discussion in public forums. The local health departments encourage all persons to be immunized as vaccine becomes available, since the risks associated with the flu far outweigh any risk associated with the vaccine. The history of vaccines in the United States is exceptionally good, with diseases such as polio and smallpox being eliminated here.

The H1N1 vaccine is produced by the same process as all other seasonal flu vaccines. There is no reason to expect any adverse outcomes beyond those experienced in a normal year. Remember that all medications come with the risk of side effects, just like every time we drive in our cars we accept a certain amount of risk.

We get vaccinated not only for ourselves, but for the good of our family, friends, and community. As more people become vaccinated, we develop what is a called a "herd immunity". The herd immunity helps to slow transmission of the virus and protect those who are unable to be vaccinated, or those who have underlying medical conditions that can lead to life threatening complications.

Some have said that they feel they are able to deal with the inconvenience of being sick in bed for a few days instead of receiving the vaccine. They say that even if they are the rare person to develop complications, it affects only them and no one else. But what if that unvaccinated person then transmits the virus to someone who develops complications? No one wants to make another person sick. Vaccination prevents illness.

NEXT WEEK: CDC vaccination priorities and the reasons behind them.