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| Saturday, July 31, 2010 |
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Student vaccination begins
Published December 1, 2009
Jackson County Health Department yesterday began administering H1N1 vaccine to students 9 years old and younger in the Jackson County School System at Stevenson and Bridgeport Elementary Schools.
Only students who had signed parental consent forms received the nasal mist vaccine, FluMist, which is administered by releasing a puff of the vaccine into each nostril. A second dose will be needed to give maximum protection from the virus, also known as swine flu.
The vaccine will be given to students Tuesday at Skyline School and Woodville School from 8:30 -11 a.m. and at Paint Rock Valley and Hollywood from 12:30 – 3 p.m. Students at Section, Pisgah, Macedonia and Dutton are scheduled to receive vaccinations on Thursday, Dec. 2 while clinics will be held at North Sand Mountain, Rosalie, Bryant and Flat Rock schools on Monday, Dec. 7.
Scottsboro City Schools will hold school-based clinics on Wednesday with vaccinations being administered at Caldwell Elementary School beginning at 8 a.m. Nurses will then move to Brownwood Elementary and Nelson Elementary Schools in order.
“We will give the second dose in January,” Scottsboro City Schools head registered nurse Wendy Hastings said. “We hope after that round is complete to be able to offer the vaccine to students in other schools. But we are waiting on the health department to tell us what to do.”
Alabama Department of Public Health Officials said that children with certain health conditions should not take the nasal mist vaccine. Those include children with allergies to eggs or other substances in the vaccine; weakened immune systems; long-term health problems; heart, lung, kidney or liver diseases; asthma; anemia or other blood disorders; diabetes or other metabolic disorders; muscle or nerve disorders. Children who are receiving long-term aspirin treatment should not receive FluMist.
“The goal is to vaccinate as many children as possible,” Alabama State Superintendent said recently of the school-based clinics. “We want to make sure it is offered to all children in the state.”
Health and school officials targeted students in grades K-3 to receive the first round of vaccinations due to the need for administering a second dose to children under 10 years old. The nasal vaccine can generally be used on people from 2-49 years old who are in overall good health.
State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson said the state is using the nasal mist, which he called “as effective as injectible vaccine,” because it is more readily available.
“Another reason is to be as non-disruptive as possible,” Williamson said. “We’re not interested in holding children down and making them get vaccinated.”
ADPH officials said children who are ill should wait until they have recovered to be vaccinated. Those with a mild cold or other minor illnesses will not be prevented from receiving a vaccination.
Williamson said clinics for older students will be scheduled when possible using the form of vaccine that is readily available at the time.
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