Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Walla Walla clinic takes H1N1 vaccine to Burbank students

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer

BURBANK -- Isaac Garcia scrunched up his nose and braced for the pain to hit. But the silly face he made had his classmates from Columbia Elementary School in Burbank in stitches, and soon he was laughing too.

He seemed to giggle right through his H1N1 vaccination.

"It wasn't as bad as you think," the 11-year-old fifth-grader said, sporting a Band-Aid on his arm from the needle stick.

Isaac was among dozens of students from Columbia School District in western Walla Walla County to get vaccinated against the virus -- also known as swine flu -- in a special school clinic Wednesday. The clinic was put on by the district and the Walla Walla Health Department.

About 40 percent of Burbank's elementary and middle school students had received the vaccine through an injection or nasal spray by lunchtime, said Superintendent Lou Gates. High schoolers were set to come through next.

Health officials are planning to offer similar clinics in schools throughout Walla Walla County into next year, said Harvey Crowder, public health administrator for the health department. They're starting with smaller districts like Columbia-Burbank -- which has about 900 students -- because there are a limited number of doses available and officials have to bring enough to each clinic to go around, he said.

The health department expects to continue getting shipments of the vaccine into next year, he said. Officials also are sending doses to hospitals and clinics in the county, Crowder said.

"We try to spread it out as much as we can," he said.

Hospitals, doctors' offices and pharmacies in the Tri-Cities also are getting doses of the vaccine, but clinics aren't planned in schools yet, said Dr. Larry Jecha of the Benton Franklin Health District.

That's because there aren't enough doses right now or enough health district staff to hit all the schools, he said. There are several larger school districts in Benton and Franklin counties; the Kennewick School District alone has more than 15,000 students.

The health district has been able to dole out about 25,000 doses to health care providers so far, Jecha said. Officials have been promised about 169,000 doses total for the community, with shipments expected to pick up in January, he said.

That should leave plenty of time to vaccinate the people who need it, Jecha said. The H1N1 virus is waning in the community and another wave isn't expected for a few months, Jecha said.

Officials are recommending that people who meet certain criteria get the vaccination now and others hold off until more becomes available.

People in the higher risk groups include pregnant women, people who live or work with infants up to 6 months old, health care workers, children and young adults through age 24 and people ages 25 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions.

Officials also said people should remember to wash their hands, cover their coughs and sneezes and take similar steps to stop the spread of germs.

Aside from the vaccine, "people can really do things to keep themselves healthy and each other healthy," Crowder said.

-- Sara Schilling: 582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com