By the end of November your child will be able to get the H1N1 vaccine in their school. Today at a press conference with the State Health Officer Doctor Don Williamson and the Alabama State Superintendent Doctor Joe Morton they stated the vaccine would be administered at every school, during school hours, or after hours if parents wish to be present. The first to get the shot will be elementary school, children ages ten and younger because they require two doses instead of one. They also announced they would use flu mist instead of a shot.
“We are not interested in holding children down and forcing them to be vaccinated. If they don’t want to be vaccinated you avoid much of that concern when you are using nasal spray because it is exactly that a puff in each nostril,” says Dr. Don Williamson.
“Most children look at it as nose drops so it’s easy it doesn’t hurt nobody is screaming and crying and it just make sense,” says Dr. Joe Morton.
In the next few days permission slips will be going home to parents. State officials say it’s important that they are read and returned.
“The packet contains everything from an important information statement to a consent statement and those are going out to children this week,” says Dr. Williamson.
Since the schools will be using a live virus there are some children who will not be able to take the flu mist.
“Individuals who have a weakened immune system shouldn’t receive this vaccine. Children with long term health problems such as heart disease, lung disease, asthma, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, anemia, or other serious blood disorders or nerve disorders, cerebral palsy or children on long term aspirin therapy,” says Dr. Williamson.
State Officials do recommend that parents vaccinate their child if they are not 100 percent certain their child, has the H1N1 virus.
“Unless the Doctor collected a sample and sent it to a lab that was able to do a confirmatory test then the safest thing to do have your child vaccinated because there is no harm even if you have had influenza to being vaccinated,” says Dr. Williamson.
After Christmas all other school age children will be vaccinated and the younger children will be given their second dose. It is expected the general public will be vaccinated by the end of January.
To listen to the press conference in its entirety click on hot links.
