Poll:
Will you get the H1N1 vaccine?
Related Coverge:
(WHAS11) - Hundreds of southern Indiana kids will start getting vaccinated for the swine flu on Monday.
New Albany, Floyd County schools with the highest number of swine flu cases will be treated first.They include Mount Tabor School, Children's Academy of New Albany and Green Valley Elementary School.
Health experts say the H1N1 virus attacks mostly young adults, children and pregnant women unlike the seasonal flu.
So far, 700 doses of the swine flu mist are available in Floyd County.
300 will be given to EMS workers and 400 doses to students after parents sign consent forms.
Dr. Tom Harris of the Floyd County Health Dept said, "this keeps parents from having to take off work. It's less disruptive. We can do this quickly in schools. We've done seasonal mist vaccines in the past couple years."
"It is possible if you're not a good candidate for the mist they will not receive them. When we go back around they will get vaccinations," Bill Briscoe, assistant superintendent for administrative operations.
The health department says children 9 and under may need a 2nd dose in 2 to 3 weeks.
That's about the same time it takes for the vaccine to take full effect.
Kids with respiratory or chronic illnesses won't be vaccinated.
Injectable swine flu shots are expected on October 15th.
With 2,000 doses of the H1N1 nasal spray in-house, Kosair Children's Hospital is first hitting its workers who are on the frontline.?
"We're doing the intensive care nursery, pediatrics.? the residents, the physicians and definitely E. R. that will come in direct contact with the sickest people," said Lezlie Barth, a nurse at Kosair Children's Hospital. ?
Intensive care nurse Hannah McCracken is the first to line up. Her critically ill patients can't tell her if they have an H1N1 symptom or not.? She is their protection from the virus. "They're little.? They're premature.? their lungs...? they can't get it. "We need to protect them also," said McCracken. ?
Over at the Kentucky Chamber of Conference, health officials were busy at the H1N1 Pandemic Summit.? Businesses got an earful on how to handle an outbreak in the workforce. Louisville Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Matt Zahn says it's important for employees to use common sense when it comes to the H1N1.??
"If you are sick stay at home.? If you've got that fever and cough, sore throat, symptoms like that, there's a good chance you can have H1N1. The biggest way you can keep from getting other people sick is stay at home," said Dr Matt Zahn, Medical Director at Louisville Metro Health Department. ?
"It's the old mash concept," said Bill Farrell, Norton Healthcare Safety Director. ?
This portable field hospital tested at Kosair Children's Hospital for the first time is how the hospital would handle a high number of H1N1 patients. It can be inflated in minutes and ready to handle any emergency the hospital may run into another part of the overall prep reparation for health and medical mass casualty.
"If we had folks come in from out of state, they could sleep in here," said Farrell.
Kosair Children's Hospital first line of defense for the H1N1 though starts with this nasal spray.???
"Actually we could have gotten it sooner. ?We could have used it. We're seeing a lot of people come through emergency rooms with symptoms." Said Barth.
