Students get H1N1 vaccine

PANAMA CITY — M. Cherry Street Elementary student Tanner McDonald was up first.

And apparently getting the H1N1 swine flu vaccine was not much of a bother for the 9-year-old.

 “It didn’t hurt that much at all,” Tanner said. “They just spray it in your nose and it drips a little bit.”

Taylor received the nasal spray that contains the live weakened virus. Others were administered the inactive vaccine in the form of a shot was distributed. In total, more than 250 students received either the spray or a shot.

The Bay County Health Department and Bay District Schools are working together to set up school clinics to allow parents and students an opportunity to be vaccinated.

“Our largest concern is that if we didn’t make this opportunity available that some of the students would not have access to get the vaccine,” said Superintendent Bill Husfelt.

Local health officials believe school-based clinics, which not every county is establishing, will get the most children vaccinated and help prevent the spread of the virus.

The flu comes in waves, said Dennis Cookro, interim director of the Bay County Health Department.

“We are in the second wave now, and there is likely to be a third, but hopefully with the school vaccinations we can catch it before then,” he said.

M. Cherry Street was chosen for the first location because of its small size and close proximity to the health department. The first school clinic served as a trial run, allowing health officials to gauge the manpower and supplies needed in addition to any potential problems.

“We know we can give shots,” said Kerry Hunt, the community health nursing director. “This is an acting run to make sure we brought everything. Our goal is to do what parents want and get the vaccine to everyone that wants it.”

The manufacturing of the vaccine has been delayed so the shipments have been smaller than originally planned. The health department is working on a tentative schedule for more school clinics starting next week.

The idea is to set up in the elementary schools first, followed by middle, then high schools. The schedule will be determined largely on Friday based on the quantity of doses the department is allotted.

The next school-based clinic will be today at Oakland Terrace Elementary School. The plan is to schedule clinics for two schools a day starting next week, Hunt said.

When the school clinics are confirmed, students will be sent home with a letter explaining the vaccine and a consent form that needs to be signed. The forms are reviewed by a nurse before a decision is made as to whether the student will receive a nasal spray or a shot.

The most common questions parents had were about potential side effects of the vaccine and if parents should ask for the nasal spray or the shot, Hunt said.

The shot is used for patients who have chronic illnesses, allergies, asthma or are at least 50 years old. Students under age 10 will be sent home with an additional consent form to receive an additional dosage of the vaccine when the school clinics return to schools for a second pass.

Potential risks for both forms of the vaccine, which have been deemed extremely small, include runny nose, fever, headache and other similar flu like symptoms.