The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is asking that Kentucky residents take a new online survey about availability and related issues involving the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine.

The survey is anonymous and can be accessed from the http://healthalerts.ky.gov home page. It can also be reached directly at this page. It will be available through Dec. 19, 2009. 

The survey will be used to help measure the extent to which target group populations in Kentucky have been able to access and obtain the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine and the projected percentage of Kentuckians in the target groups who have received it or wish to receive it.

The target groups identified for the survey include: pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months; young adults from 18 to 24 years of age; and people with chronic health conditions that include asthma, neurological conditions, chronic lung and heart disease, and disorders of the kidney, liver, endocrine system and blood.

“We will be using this survey as a tool to measure the saturation of available H1N1 vaccine in communities across the state, specifically for the target groups identified as being at higher risk for developing complications from flu,” said DPH Commissioner William Hacker. "We especially ask that families, college students and other young adults, pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions take time to respond to this survey."

A telephone survey is also being conducted simultaneously with the online survey. Funding for the survey was provided through a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).