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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Makayla Draper, 9, receives an H1N1 vaccine shot from nurse Sara Thompson at Albert Harris Elementary School on Wednesday. (Bulletin photo) |
Thursday, November 5, 2009
By ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writer
Been wondering what it feels like to have a nasal mist H1N1 vaccine?
Students at Albert Harris Elementary School have the answer.
Khadesha Ross, 9, and Shaprille Preston, 8, received the nasal spray vaccination Wednesday. Khadesha compared it to jumping into a pool and having water go up your nose.
Shaprille agreed and said she intended to tell her fellow classmates who were scared not to worry.
Bonnie Feldt, epidemiologist for the Henry-Martinsville Health Department, said 1,000 H1N1, or swine flu, vaccines have been received in the past week. All of them were reserved for students and teachers, she said.
The health department allowed the school systems to decide the order their schools would receive the vaccines as the doses became available, Feldt said. Most of the school systems picked elementary schools to get vaccinated first, she said, because younger children are at the most risk, and elementary schools had the most consent forms returned.
Sara Thompson, a nurse for the health department, said the staff went to one West Piedmont Health District school each day. The school systems’ vaccination schedules are rotated, she said, so the distribution is fair.
Once the shots reserved for the Martinsville Schools were distributed on Wednesday, the health department will go to Henry, Patrick and Franklin county schools before returning to Martinsville, she said.
Students at Stanleytown and Campbell Court elementary schools in Henry County are scheduled to receive the vaccines Friday.
Betty Heaton, clerical staff at the local health department, helped with the H1N1 mass immunizations. Early Wednesday, health department workers gave out shots at Clearview Early Childhood Center, she said. Heaton said the children there were between the ages of 2 and 4, so they were required to have parents with them.
Students at Albert Harris did not have to have parents accompany them, but parents specified whether the student should receive a nasal spray or shot vaccination, Thompson said. Most children preferred the nasal spray, but those who had asthma, diabetes or a weakened immune system had to get a shot, she said.
According to Decorey Bishop, 9, the nurses also gave students without pre-existing conditions an option to get the shot instead of the nasal spray. Decorey said he volunteered for the shot because he “didn’t want something stuck up his nose,” and he said the shot did not hurt.
Taylor Brown, 9, and Trinity Preston, 8, both agreed the shots they received did not hurt. Trinity even managed to keep her smile while receiving the shot.
T’shaun Swanson, however, didn’t feel the same way. His mouth opened in shock when the shot was injected. When asked how it felt, he replied, “Well, it didn’t feel good.”
Decorey said he was happy he got to choose a shot over the nasal mist, and he would also tell people not to be afraid of the vaccinations.
Teachers and staff also were invited to receive H1N1 vaccines at Albert Harris on Wednesday. Gregory Hackenberg, a third-grade teacher, took advantage of that.
“It felt like someone was injecting an ear dropper up my nose,” he said about the nasal spray. Hackenberg said he wanted to encourage any of his students who were scared of the vaccination.
“Now that I’ve been vaccinated, I can show them it doesn’t hurt,” he said. “I want them to be brave.”
A health department employee sat at a table and gave everyone a choice of a fake tattoo or sticker after they had their shots. His new fake tattoo was the best part of the whole experience, Hackenberg said. |
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