The Portsmouth City and Scioto County Health Departments have been working with all schools in Scioto County to offer H1N1 immunization for all students pre-school through 12th grade.

“All schools were very appreciative of both the city and county health departments’ willingness to do this,” Lowell Howard, superintendent of the South Central Ohio Educational Services Center, said. “At that point we began to work jointly in a coordination to provide the services for all schools in Scioto County, inclusive of the MRDD school, Scioto County Career Technical Center and Sciotoville Community School.”

Howard said the program would run from Dec. 1 to Dec 17.

“My part has been logistics — in setting up the schedule, the locations etcetera, and trying to meet the physical needs, the tables and chairs and everything — to be ready to provide the service at that time,” Howard said.

Howard said letters were being sent to parents so they can know the date of the immunizations for their children’s school system.

Due to parents having to be present, the immunizations will be given at the local school districts from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., except the Vern Riffe School and Carousel Center which will be given the morning of Dec. 3. The only exception to that rule is if the student is 18 years of age and can provide proof of birth date.

The packet sent home with students also reads:

“It should be noted that you may attend another school’s clinic if you are unable to be present during your school district’s scheduled date.”

All immunizations are being offered based on the availability of the vaccine from the Ohio Department of Health.

“It is here right now,” said Bobbi Bratchett of the Portsmouth Health Department. “We never know how much we’re going to have. Right now we only have approximately 300 doses, in addition to what we already have on hand. We will keep on our schedule as we have the vaccine, and if we do not get more in, those (vaccinations) will be terminated at that point, and then probably given at the first of the year.”

Howard said it is important to emphasize that even though Scioto County and the country have been through one wave of the influenza A epidemic, it will most likely come back quickly. What makes the arrival of the H1N1 frightening to the medical authorities is that it came before the regular flu season, which normally does not arrive until January and February.

“An estimated 22 million people have been infected with H1N1 to date, and over 4,000 deaths in the United States, including over 500 children (have been reported). During a typical flu season, roughly 36,000 individuals die every year in the United States from influenza,” Scioto County Health Commissioner Dr. Aaron Adams said. “Scioto County experienced the first flu wave in October. It is estimated that we had over 10,000 people infected. As the flu season lingers, we may see a second surge this winter. Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as we can with available vaccine to prevent hospitalizations and mortalities.”

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.