FAIRMONT - A spike in influenza-like illness, along with more H1N1-related deaths in Minnesota, have more people concerned.

Next week, Martin and Faribault counties will distribute the first doses of H1N1 vaccine. Because the doses are a minimal number, only pregnant women and children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years will be allowed to receive it.

While there is no charge for the vaccination, it is on a first-come, first-served basis. The clinics are only slated to last an hour and a half, if vaccination supplies last.

"H1N1 is and always has been in Martin County; it didn't go away over the summer," said Carmen Reckard of the public health department of Martin and Faribault County Human Services. "Minnesota has been good at tracking communicable diseases. There are sites that do test all influenza-like illness cases that come in and send the samples into the state lab ... All through the summer there were cases of H1N1. The seasonal flu has not shown up yet, so if we have reports of influenza-like illness, we're treating it as H1N1."

The nearest reporting site to Faribault and Martin counties is the Minnesota State-Mankato Health Center.

Fairmont Medical Center does not test for H1N1 except in severe cases. Earlier this season, there were reports of Influenza A showing up at the medical center. However, Influenza A is a blanket category while other flu, including H1N1 and the seasonal flu, are sub-categories.

Recently, Fairmont Medical Center created a flu center, which separates flu sufferers from other patients as soon as they arrive. Anyone with flu symptoms should call the clinic and hospital before arriving. The flu center is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and at the emergency room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Other tools being used to help inform the public include a hotline set up by the Minnesota Department of Health for a flu triage.

"We are the first state to set this up, and it's the first time Minnesota has set up something like this," Reckard said. "They already had about 2,100 calls."

Anti-virals are being placed with specific pharmacies and are being made available to those with little or no health insurance, patients who normally would not be able to get anti-virals. They are being distributed at Fairmont Medical Center and United Hospital District (Blue Earth) pharmacies, along with Sterling Drug in Fairmont and a pharmacy in Wells.

"The Commissioner of Health declared a Public Health Emergency Declaration, which means that the public health department could disperse those if we didn't have pharmacies that were willing," Reckard said. "Luckily, we had pharmacies that were willing."

As for next week's clinics, law enforcement will play a role in helping keep things organized and orderly.

"The vaccine needs to go to the people that need it, and we don't want people coming in from 100 miles away; we want it to go to our people here," said Martin County Sheriff Brad Gerhardt. "Luckily, there's not a whole lot of people out there that we don't know."

Authorities have been working on plans for a pandemic flu, such as H1N1, since 2002, and have been making the preparations since news of H1N1 broke this spring. Reckard and Gerhardt said more clinics will be held, but it's the question of when that hangs overhead.

"The toughest part is knowing we have a vaccination that works and is being manufactured, but people are getting sick and we don't have a way to manufacture this vaccine more quickly and get it to these people that are so sick," Reckard said.

"We expect that there will be enough for everyone who wants it, but it may not be until around the first of the year," Gerhardt said. "Eventually, we'll get there, but until then remain diligent of having a healthy lifestyle. Keep washing your hands, cough into your sleeve and if you do get sick, stay home and don't make anyone else sick."