By Monica Pryts
GREENVILLE — Greenville Area School District students and staff will be the first group in Mercer County to receive the swine flu vaccine.
School officials registered with the state Department of Health to serve as a vaccine distribution site and 1,400 doses, which includes the nasal spray, are ready to go for Monday and Tuesday.
“It’s something that’s going to help our students,” Superintendent Dr. Patricia M. Homer said Wednesday of the district’s decision to host a clinic.
Parents and guardians will receive letters and registration forms this week about the vaccine clinic, which is set for 4 to 8 p.m. both days in the high school cafeteria.
The clinic is for all Greenville Area School District students, including those who attend private schools, preschools and Head Start, who have been invited, Dr. Homer said.
Head Start and preschool students must be at least 4 years old, and all children must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. The vaccine is free and the cost of distributing it is covered by the state, she said.
School staff members can receive the vaccine if they’re eligible under the target groups identified by health officials as those most likely to get the swine flu, other than children.
Factors include anyone younger than 25 years old; pregnant; with a child younger than 6 months old; emergency medical services workers; someone immunosuppressed or who works with children who have that condition; who has a history of or is being treated for asthma, lung problems, diabetes, kidney disease, heart conditions, or neurological or neuromuscular disorders.
Health officials have said children ages 4 to 9 need a second dose of the vaccine and the school has tentatively set that clinic for Dec. 7 and 8.
Nurses from the school and county health department will administer the vaccine and nasal spray, Dr. Homer said. More registration forms will be available at the clinic.
Dr. Homer said hosting the clinic is a good opportunity to keep staff and students healthy, especially since there’s no cost to do it.
The district has had three confirmed student cases of swine flu and parents are following health officials’ suggestions to keep sick children at home, she said.
Hermitage and Sharon school officials have said they also registered to host swine flu vaccine clinics but are waiting to hear when they’ll get their shipments.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mercer County had 45 confirmed cases, according to the Health Department’s Web site, which also said swine flu vaccine clinics for the general public aren’t yet available because of a delay in producing the vaccine.
