NATCHEZ — County and state health officials are not releasing the number of swine flu vaccine doses allotted to the Adams County Health Department Monday.

Adams County health officials Thursday would not divulge the exact amount of vaccine doses allotted to the county, referring all questions to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

MSDH Spokeswoman Liz Sharlot said 25,800 injectable vaccine doses have been distributed among Mississippi’s 82 counties.

“Each county gets a share based on population,” Sharlot said.

“We’re not able to tell you general amounts of what’s allotted, how much is injectable, how much is nasal mist, how much is going to the county health departments, and the number changes on a day-to-day basis. We are not releasing those numbers because they change daily.”

Sharlot said the county health department’s first priority is vaccinating the public, not tracking vaccine doses.

“Those county people need to be doing their work,” Sharlot said. “We have 82 counties, 81 county clinics and we just don’t have the manpower.”

“This is a huge effort and we’re busy trying to vaccinate people.”

Sharlot said county health officials may or may not know the amount of vaccine doses allotted, and added MSDH will examine how many people have been vaccinated mid-flu season.

“Sometime mid-season we can take a look at how many people have been vaccinated, but we’re not going to be breaking it down by county,” Sharlot said.

MSDH State Epidemiologist Dr. Mary Currier announced last week Mississippi had been allotted 223,800 doses of swine flu vaccine. Exactly 146,000 of those doses are injectable, while the remaining doses are in nasal mist form. The vaccine is free at all county health departments.

Currier said pregnant women, children age 6 months to 4 years and caregivers of young children are at high risk of contracting the swine flu virus and should be vaccinated immediately.

For more information, call 601-445-4601.