Schools shift vaccines in fight against flu

Central Virginia schools and health departments are shifting gears — and vaccines — in the fight against the flu. 

H1N1, or swine flu, is the strain that is currently going around in Central Virginia. The vaccine that’s been given out to students in Bedford County, Appomattox, and five schools in Campbell County is for the normal seasonal flu.

Now the Central Virginia Health District is suspending the seasonal flu vaccinations and gearing up to offer H1N1 vaccine doses, which have not arrived yet.

In a twist of irony, students who have received the seasonal flu vaccine will be ineligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine for the four weeks after their seasonal flu mist was administered. This is because both vaccines contain a live virus.

Shayla Anderson, public information officer for the Central Virginia Health District, said that because the Lynchburg schools have not yet administered the seasonal flu vaccine, the district is on track to be vaccinated as soon as the H1N1 vaccines come in. 

Virginia received its first doses of the vaccine Tuesday. Anderson said that the district is currently in the process of working out plans for scheduling the H1N1 inoculations with other area districts.

Last Friday, the Campbell County Health department planned to vaccinate students at all of Campbell County’s schools. Instead, only students at Brookville High, Brookville Middle, Rustburg Middle, Tomahawk Elementary, Leesville Road Elementary and Yellow Branch Elementary schools received the vaccine, because of a shortfall of the vaccine during a year in which it has been in high demand.

The district-wide inoculation would have been the first of its kind in Campbell County. Last year, the seasonal flu inoculation was administered at Rustburg Middle School as a test.

Meanwhile, it is likely the H1N1 flu has already hit several Campbell County schools. At Leesville Road Elementary School, 38 students were absent on Monday. At Altavista Elementary School, school nurse Robin Mattox estimated that 62 students were absent on Tuesday and more than 70 students were absent Monday. Usually 20 or so students are absent per day at Altavista Elementary school.

“If I had a message right now it would be for parents to keep their sick kids at home and to try and practice good hand washing,” Mattox said.