By Trent Moore The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Local schools will begin hosting free H1N1 swine flu vaccine clinics next week for elementary students.

Cullman Primary School, East Elementary School and Cullman Christian School are the first campuses scheduled to host clinics on Monday. Nurses from the Cullman County Health Department will coordinate with on-campus school nurses to host the clinics. The health department is working with all local schools to coordinate times convenient for both parties.

“We’re going to take a full team to the schools,” Cullman County Health Department Clinic Supervisor Crystal Page said. “I’m curious how the response will be.”

The clinics will continue on Tuesday at Cold Springs Elementary School and West Elementary School, leading into the Thanksgiving holiday break. Additional schools will host clinics when classes resume on November 30, though the extended schedule was unavailable by press time.

“We hope to  have them all done by early December,” Page said.

Only students in kindergarten - third grade, or under 9-years-old, will be offered the vaccine initially..

“Right now, we are just doing the elementary schools,” Page said. “The plan has changed so many times. Initially we were going to do all the students, but the vaccine came in so slowly [the Alabama Department of Public Health] cut it back.”

The vaccine will not be offered to the public at these clinics, only to students in the target age group.

“These are not open to the public, because there’s not enough vaccine currently for everyone,” Cullman City Schools nurse supervisor LuAnne Reid said. “We’re going to vaccinate the children with the nasal mist vaccine, because that is what the state has available now.”

Students must have a parent or guardian sign a consent form before they can receive the vaccine.

“We must have a consent form signed or they will not get it,” Reid said. “It must be completely filled out ... Also, if the child refuses, we won’t give it to them.”

Reid said any children with medical problems should not be vaccinated at the school clinics.

“Anyone with any medical conditions should not take the mist, because it’s the live virus,” she said. “You don’t want to take that with asthma or diabetes, because those are things it could cause a reaction with.”

Reid said the vaccine is being given to young children first because two doses are recommended for those 9-years-old and younger. She said the second dose would be given about four weeks after the first is administered.

“We’re doing the first round now, then after Christmas break we’ll get the second vaccine,” she said. “At that point, we may open it to others.”

State Health Department officials said they expect the vaccine to be offered for older children after Jan. 1.

Cullman County Board of Education Superintendent Hank Allen said the county school system is ready to participate in the project.

“We’re just waiting for the vaccines [from the state] and we’re good to go,” he said.

State Health Officer Don Williamson recommended parents allow their children to receive the vaccine unless they are allergic to eggs, according to the Associated Press.

Children who have already had the swine flu or whose parents believe they have had it still should receive the vaccine. He said there are other viruses that cause similar symptoms to swine flu.

“It is safe to be vaccinated if you have already had it,” Williamson said.

So far 32 deaths in Alabama have been attributed to the H1N1 swine flu virus.

More information about public H1N1 swine flu vaccine clinics can be found at the Alabama Department of Public Health Web site (http://www.adph.org), or by calling the Cullman County Health Department at (256) 734-1030.



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.