OTTUMWA, IOWA -- A man touring the country to raise awareness on getting the H1N1 vaccine stopped in Ottumwa today.
Jerry Holt’s brother Hank lost his life after a 60 day battle with H1N1 earlier this year.
In honor of Hank, Jerry began raising awareness for people to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
He began locally down in Alabama visiting churches and meeting with media members. On June 6, Hank’s Birthday, Jerry kicked off a national tour, “H1N1 Awareness Tour on Board the Train."
On his tour, Jerry is traveling by train meeting and talking with guest on the trains and then passing the message along to local media.
Jerry said he has been getting a positive everywhere he goes and people often inquire for more information.
“People are saying I didn’t know that. I didn’t know it was still out there. I didn’t know I needed to get the shot. I didn’t know the shot was available. The key is the Center for Disease Control issued a warning on the 12th of March that there is no end to swine flu season, it simply goes on,” said Jerry Holt.
Another place Jerry has been raising awareness at is minor league baseball stadiums.
He said those stops have been extremely effective as he gets an audience of 3,000-8,000 in an enclosed space. The parks’ managers allow him to set a table up and he said he has had many people stop by.
Vaccines for the H1N1 virus are still available. This fall, the seasonal flu shot will also contain a strain of H1N1.
For CDC numbers on the H1N1 virus click here.