Font ResizeStudents at Ferguson Elementary School in York City School District will receive vaccinations Thursday through the York City Bureau of Health, according to a news release from the district.
Also, students at Dillsburg and Northern elementary schools in the Northern York County School District will receive inoculations Monday through the York/Adams Metropolitan Medical Response System, that school district said.
In the city school district, only students whose parents returned consent forms by the Oct. 23 deadline will receive the vaccine.
The original deadline for parental consent forms at Northern York was in mid-October, but YAMMRS officials continued to collect forms as they awaited the first shipment.
Now that the vaccine has arrived and an inoculation schedule is in place, consent forms must be received no later than noon Wednesday for a student to be vaccinated, school officials said.
Original story
York County received its first shipment of the H1N1 vaccine this morning.
The 18,000 doses -- 16,000 nasal mists and 2,000 shots -- will first be made available to students in two school districts, according to officials with YAMMRS, the York/Adams Metropolitan Medical Response System.
Students in Northern York County School District will be the first to receive the vaccine,
The school districts were chosen by lottery, YAMMRS officials said. Northern York has 1,585 students who have turned in consent forms to be vaccinated, and Dallastown has 4,059.
Districts have given parents the option of choosing which form of the vaccine, if any, they want their children to receive. About 50 percent to 60 percent of parents have chosen to have their children vaccinated, YAMMRS officials said at a news conference this morning.
Parents have a variety of things to consider when determining whether a child should receive the vaccine and, if so, which form is appropriate.
"It is a personal decision for a parent to make on behalf of their child," Kevin Alvarnaz, H1N1 vaccination coordinator for YAMMRS, said.
The nasal spray form of the H1N1 vaccine, also referred to as the activated vaccine, should not be given to students with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, reactive airway disease, and those with impaired immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also, children who have had unconfirmed cases of the swine flu still might not have attained natural immunity against H1N1, and could therefore benefit from the vaccine, the YAMMRS Web site states.
Health officials urge parents to talk with primary care physicians about which form is best for their child.
In most cases, elementary school children will be the first to receive vaccinations, followed by middle school then high school students, Alvarnaz said.
Enough doses of each form of the vaccine must be on hand to meet parents' requests before subsequent school districts may administer vaccinations. For logistical reasons, Brian Morrin of YAMMRS said, health officials will not go to a school to vaccinate only those children whose chose the nasal spray, and then return once enough shots are available to meet the demand for those.
Alvarnaz also said health officials must be sure they have enough volunteers and secondary supplies -- such as adhesive bandages and syringes -- before scheduling vaccinations.
"Any vaccine that is not administered in either of the initial two school districts will be placed into inventory and used for student vaccinations in subsequent school districts," Alvarnaz said in the e-mail.
During the news conference, Alvarnaz urged parents to be patient as they wait for their children to be vaccinated. YAMMRS has plans in place for vaccinating all students who wish to receive the shot in York and Adams counties, he said, and will do so when enough vaccines become available.
On the Web
Pennsylvania Department of Health: www.h1n1inpa.com
To help determine which form of the vaccine is a better choice for your child: cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination, click on "Information for Clinicians and Health Care Professionals" and then on the links for the two VIS under "Vaccine Information Statements and Other Free Educational Materials."
About volunteers
Health officials predict York and Adams County will need to vaccinate nearly 150,000 people who belong to the five priority groups for the H1N1 vaccine.
The York/Adams Metropolitan Medical Response System is looking for volunteers to help at community and school-based sites. Both health professionals and people who are not trained health care providers can be of assistance.
Some volunteers will greet and register people and help with event logistics.
To help, visit www.yammrs.org, click on "How can I volunteer" and complete the volunteer form. Volunteers may also register at www.serv.pa.gov, an online, confidential registry for medical and non-medical volunteers in Pennsylvania.
Source: www.yammrs.org
On the blogs
· Lessons from York County, world history: Pandemic flu preparations crucial.
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