H1N1 Flu Vaccine Information and Tips to Prevent the Flu

On Saturday November 7, 2009, 9 a.m. until 12 noon, there will be an H1N1 influenza vaccine drive through clinic at Cleveland County Health Department.  The nasal spray live virus vaccine (800 doses) and the injectable inactivated vaccine (600 doses) will be available.   The nasal spray is a live virus vaccine licensed for individuals who are 2 to 49 years of age.   The injectable vaccine will be offered to individuals 6 months and older and for those who are not eligible to take the nasal spray. 

More doses are expected and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that there will eventually be enough vaccine for all ages.
 
The nasal spray does not contain thimerosal or other preservatives, provides a quick and more effective immune response, and the immunity lasts longer.  The vaccine has been manufactured in a way that allows the body to build antibodies against the H1N1 virus but not cause illness.   

The following individuals should not take the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine:
Severe (life-threatening) allergy to eggs
Children younger than 2 and adults 50 years and older
Pregnant women
Anyone with a weakened immune system or long-term health problem
Anyone with asthma or has had one or more episodes of wheezing in the past year
Anyone with muscle or nerve disorders or history of a paralyzing illness
Anyone with close contact to a person with a weakened immune system
Children or adolescents on long-term aspirin treatment
Anyone who is taking/has taken Singular for allergies

Please check with your doctor if you have a severe illness or have any severe (life-threatening) allergies before taking any type of vaccine. 

If you have recently received another live virus vaccine such as measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, or live seasonal flu you must wait one month before receiving the live H1N1 nasal spray vaccine.  Please call Kim Crane at 704-484-5111 or Sherry Yocum at 704-669-3134 for any questions.   You may also access the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.

Please bring a copy of your Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance cards for billing purposes.

• H1N1 Flu Consent Form - Posted

• H1N1 Inactivated Influenza Vaccine - What You Need to Know

• H1N1 Live Intranasal Influenza Vaccine - What You Need to Know

Tips to Prevent the Flu

                                                                                              September 1, 2009

Dear Parent,

As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in Cleveland County Schools. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to do this.

We are working closely with the Cleveland County Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.

• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.

• Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.

• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.

• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs.  Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.

• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.

If the flu becomes more severe, we will take additional steps to prevent the spread.
 
For more information visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu. For more information about flu in our community and what our school is doing, visit www.clevelandcountyschools.org or call 704 476 8000. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu.

Sincerely,

Stephen Fisher
Director of Administrative Services
Cleveland County Schools