With a name like the Central Texas Poison Center, some may not expect to hear about calls outside of an accidental poisoning.
"Hopefully when people think of poison centers they immediately think about a two-year-old who eats something they shouldn't eat," center director Doug Borys said. "Because that is our bread and butter call."
However Borys said that is not always the case.
As the number of Texans receiving their H1N1 vaccination increases, the center has received calls from two dozen people to report the vaccine's adverse effects.
"Getting calls about the flu and people calling about H1N1 and seasonal flu does not surprise us," Borys said.
What may be surprising is what the center does once the caller hangs up.
"We are then reporting those cases back to the health department, so they can complete the circle for better patient care," said Borys.
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Central Texas Poison Center
News 8’s Chie Saito has more on how the Central Texas Poison Center is working with the state health department in monitoring the H1N1 virus.
 
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Borys said this type of communication between the state health department and the poison center is only practiced by a handful of centers across the country.
"The partnership between a poison center and public health is something that has been growing." he said. "In Texas, we're a little bit ahead of the curve."
According to Borys, once the center receives and documents the call about an adverse reaction, the health department hears about it in real time.
From there, Borys said those reports are sent to the Centers for Disease Control which monitors this type of activity across the country. The CDC also conduct investigations on the most serious cases.
If you would like to report an adverse reaction to the H1N1 vaccine, call the Central Texas Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
