Alpha Kappa Alpha Joins President's H1N1 Awareness Crusade

Vows to help get America's vulnerable citizens immunized

At the urging of President Barack Obama and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Alpha Kappa Alpha has joined the campaign to inform America's fragile citizens of the importance of being immunized against the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu. AKA's International President Barbara A. McKinzie vowed to help carry the message-particularly among people of color who have contracted the disease at the highest number than any other demographic, but are less apt to get the vaccine.

The sense of urgency is magnified by the following grim figures from the Centers for Disease Control:

14 million to 34 million people have contracted the H1N1 virus;
63,000 to 153,000 people have been hospitalized;
2,500 to 6,100 people have died from the H1N1 flu.

Following a White House briefing session where AKA was represented by member Dr. Lavdena Orr, AKA's International President McKinzie, vowed to galvanize the membership around the campaign.

In the briefing session, members of the Obama administration said that they attribute the difficulty in reaching communities of color to the fact that they are suspicious of government programs. The consequence of this deep-rooted distrust is that they are not grasping the seriousness of this health crisis and are not hearing the message, nor being vaccinated. This makes them most vulnerable to the disease.

Because President Obama wants these populations to be immunized, he has called upon Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, faith-based organizations and others with strong ties to the community to fan out and reach those who need to be vaccinated. The priority groups include pregnant women, children/young adults-6 months to 24 years-adults between ages 25 and 64 with chronic medical conditions, health care workers, workers who take care of children and home-based child care workers.

In vowing to rally the membership around the campaign, McKinzie declared: "Alpha Kappa Alpha is the President's link to those most in need. They trust us, and we must convince those most susceptible to this disease to get immunized. We must launch a grassroots offensive in the neighborhoods, communities, rural areas and barrios on the local and statewide levels. Our mission is to spread the word about getting the H1N1 flu shot. Work together individually, as a chapter, or in any way that is most effective in responding to the President's call."

McKinzie said there are three messages that should be conveyed.

The vaccine is safe.
The flu is deadly and can be prevented by being immunized.
This is a "right now" situation that cannot wait.

Dr. Orr said that, in planning a strategy, members should reference the document H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations [click here]. Produced by the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this resource answers all questions and provides valuable tools on how to best launch and execute this informational campaign. She added that members can also call 1-800-232-4636 to get the latest information on this deadly disease.

"Let's band together to make sure those we serve are informed and protected from the ravages of this disease. Most of all, let's support President Obama's call by Effectively Supporting and Participating in this campaign," declared McKinzie.