H1N1 vaccines ready for two school districts

The Western Foothills and Bethel-area school districts will administer H1N1 flu shots starting this week.

In the Western Foothills district, shots will be given on three consecutive Saturdays, starting this weekend. They will be given only to students whose parents accompany their child, so they can sign a waiver, said Laurie Soucy, school health coordinator. Students ages 18 and older do not need parental permission.

All shots are free, and any child in the region may attend the clinic for that area. All clinics will run from 8 a.m. until noon. They are:

• Nov. 7, Dirigo Elementary School, Peru

• Nov. 14, Mountain Valley Middle School, Mexico

• Nov. 21, Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, Buckfield

The district ordered enough vaccine to accommodate 40 percent of about 3,000 students, which is a figure recommended by the state.

The seasonal flue vaccine has not yet become available, Soucy said. If it should arrive before the H1N1 clinics, it will be available as well.

In Regional School Unit 44 in Bethel, district nurse Chris Cole said about 500 doses of H1N1 vaccine are available for students. The district has had two confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu, and several probable cases. One child is back to school, but the other has not yet returned.

Clinics there are:

• Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Telstar Middle and High School.

• Nov. 6, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Andover Elementary School, Woodstock Elementary School and Crescent Park Elementary School

Cole said seasonal flu vaccine has been administered to elementary and middle school students who wanted it. The district is still waiting for additional doses to vaccinate high school students.

At Gould Academy, also in Bethel, a total of 32 confirmed and suspected student cases of H1N1 flu have been identified, along with four suspected cases in staff members.

Communications director Tucker Kimball said about 80 percent of the school's 240 students have been vaccinated for the H1N1 flu. More serum is expected this week.

Kimball said parents were asked to take their sick children home if they live within the six New England states. For those contracting H1N1 who live in other states or countries, additional space has been created for them in the health center.

eadams@sunjournal.com