CARTERVILLE - Little Greycin Borrenpohl of Carbondale learned a valuable lesson Monday: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Someday maybe the 21-month-old girl will appreciate that lesson, but after receiving the H1N1 influenza vaccination shot Monday her reaction seemed slightly less than grateful.

First came a howl of shocked surprise, then tears fell as she turned to her mother, Nicole, for comfort.

"Aw, I know," her mother said.

Borrenpohl , a JALC instructor, said she decided to take advantage of the on-site clinic to protect her daughter from H1N1.

"It's so scary having a young child - to think about what could happen with this flu. I want to guard against it as much as I can," she said.

The Borrenphols were among the hundreds who lined up Monday during a clinic sponsored by Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department.

More than 260 vaccinations - both nasal spray and shot forms - were delivered in the first three hours of the clinic at John A. Logan College, Bi-County's Whitney Mehaffy said.

The clinic was the first offered by Bi-County to those populations identified as priority by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: pregnant women; household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months; health care and emergency medical services personnel; all people from 6 months through 24 years of age; people ages 25 to 64 years who are at higher risk for flu complications because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Fred Brewer of Royalton waited about 35 minutes to get his vaccine.

"I feel like it's the smart thing to do because I have underlying health problems," he said.

Brewer said the decision to get the vaccine was a "no-brainer."

"I'm not worried about the vaccine's safety. It's made the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine is made." he said.

Huyen Nguyen of Carbondale stopped by the clinic to see if she could get a shot, but because she didn't fit into any of the risk groups, she was turned away.

"I'm a little disappointed and worried that they might run out before I can get the vaccine," she said.

Once priority populations have been reached, Mehaffy said, the vaccines will be offered as they become available to those considered by the CDC as less at risk for complications from H1N1, such as those 65 or older who have some immunity/protection from the H1N1 strain because of previous exposure.

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