Protecting Kids From the Flu
December 7th, 2009 by Jane Schneider
Children at Lester Elementary School rolled up their sleeves today, wincing as they got flu shots for the H1N1 virus. It’s part of Memphis City and Shelby County School’s aggressive health campaign to protect public school student against the spread of the H1N1 virus.
The campaign, which officially launched this morning, means 60,000 doses of vaccine are available for inoculating children. The vaccination drive is a collaborative effort by the Memphis City Schools, the Shelby County Schools, the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, Memphis Health Center, and Wellchild, Inc.
“We’ve received 11,000 parent consent forms thus far, “ says Irving Haimer, MCS deputy superintendent. “The forms must be completed before we can vaccinate a child.”
Letters started going out to public school parents last week. Fourteen MCS elementary schools and eight county schools, starting in Millington, are receiving the initial round of vaccinations this week. Superintendent Kriner Cash says elementary school kids will receive shots first, followed by middle and high school school students. The program continues through January. Mike Tebbe with Shelby County Schools says administrators expect to meet with principles this week to discuss how the campaign will be rolled out there. The shots will be administered by health care professionals from the Health department and partnering agencies.
Getting a child vaccinated is optional, though highly recommended by health officials, especially for children with upper respiratory ailments like asthma. The vaccine is considered a safe and effective means of combating the flu. Getting the drive underway earlier in the school year wasn’t possible due to a limited supply of vaccine, according to Yvonne Matlock, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department. Nonetheless, it comes at an appropriate time.
“Traveling during the holidays mixes people from different areas and gives you a chance to catch new germs,” says Matlock. There’s also concern that the post-holiday return to school could prompt a new wave of the virus. “The crisis is not over. There’s been a five-week decline in the reporting of new cases, but we’re still the in midst of an H1N1 pandemic,” states Kenneth Robinson, the Health department’s public health officer.
While the second wave of the flu hit school children hardest during August and September, there are no reportable figures on how many children have been effected. Pandemics typically strike in waves and last up to 24 months.
For more info, call the MCS Hotline: 416-2569 or the Health Department hotline: 379-H1N1