SCROLL FOR AN H1N1 SCHOOL VACCINATION SCHEDULE
ROCKFORD — The Carlson Elementary School students standing in line for H1N1 flu shots this morning whispered one universal question to classmates emerging from the room where the shots were administered.
“Did it hurt?”
The almost universal answer was a smile and “No.”
Even Rockford School District Superintendent Dr. LaVonne Sheffield, who admitted that she’s afraid of needles, said she was still bracing for the shot when the nurse administering it told her it was already done.
The vaccinations were among the first to be given by the Winnebago County Health Department in seven days of in-school shot clinics in the Rockford School District. The department is scheduled to vaccinate at least 12,369 of the district’s approximately 29,400 students in the clinics, which conclude Wednesday, Dec. 9, at Guilford and Jefferson high schools.
The department plans to begin vaccinations in the Harlem School District after finishing in Rockford.
Sheffield and Winnebago County Health Department Administrator Mike Bacon said the vaccinations were important, even though illnesses attributable to the H1N1 virus have been on the decline in recent weeks.
“Like the rest of the country, there has been a substantial decline in influenzalike illness in school settings,” Bacon said. “Absenteeisms are down, and in clinical settings, the proportion of visits attributable to influenzalike illness are down. Hospitalizations are down, and nationwide, deaths attributable to influenza deaths are down as well.
“This is all good news, but that doesn’t change the need for us to get vaccinated. It’s just as important as it ever has been.”
He also said that although the number of reported flu cases has declined in the past three weeks, “we’re still way above where we usually are at this time of year for the number of influenza cases.”
Sheffield said the district isn’t seeing the same amount of absenteeism that it saw a month ago “but I err on the side of being safe, and we don’t want to experience any more casualties in our system, so I would say to parents to have their child take the H1N1 vaccine.”
Bacon said the reason for the drop in flu cases might be a decline in what he called the second wave of the virus.
“It’s a little soon to be certain of that,” he said, “but it appears we’re on the back side of the second wave of this thing and there will be additional waves. We just don’t know when, so we hope this drop doesn’t change the public’s vaccination-seeking behavior.”
He said vaccine delivery has picked up to the point that the department anticipates having been in every school in the county before the Christmas break. He said a second round of vaccinations recommended for children 10 and younger will be scheduled in January.
He also said the delivery is regular enough that the department will soon expand its appointment schedule for individuals in priority categories and who are not served by the in-school program from two days a week to three.
The priority categories include pregnant women; household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age; persons 6 months through 24 years of age; persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, and health care and emergency medical services personnel.
People in those categories may call the Health Department at 815-720-4006 or 815-720-4007 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays to schedule appointments.
Although the deadline for Rockford students to turn in permission slips to receive the H1N1 vaccination has past, Mark Bonne, the district’s chief communications officer, said the district doesn’t intend to turn away any student who presents a signed permission slip before the Health Department arrives at their school.
Sue Fuller, community relations manager for the Health Department, said anyone who needs a permission slip to have their child vaccinated at school may download one at www.wchd.org.
Staff writer Mike DeDoncker can be reached at 815-987-1382 or mdedoncker@rrstar.com.
SPECIAL REPORT
Information on H1N1, the flu
H1N1 flu shots in Rockford schools
Today
Morning — Carlson Elementary, 4015 Pepper Drive; Johnson Elementary, 3805 Rural St.; Lewis Lemon Elementary, 1993 Mulberry St., and Haskell Elementary, 515 Maple St.
Afternoon — Bloom Elementary, 2912 Brendenwood Road; Rolling Green Elementary, 3615 Westgate Parkway, and Beyer Elementary, 333 15th Ave.
Wednesday
Morning — Ellis Elementary, 222 S. Central Ave.; King Elementary, 1306 S. Court St.; Stiles Elementary, 315 LaClede Ave.; Conklin Elementary, 3003 Halsted Road; Summerdale Elementary, 3320 Glenwood Ave., and Welsh Elementary, 2100 Huffman Blvd.
Afternoon — Dennis Elementary, 730 Lincoln Park Blvd.; Page Park Elementary, 5949 Safford Road; Wilson ASPIRE, 520 N. Pierpont Ave.; McIntosh Elementary, 525 N. Pierpont Ave.; West View Elementary, 1720 Halsted Road; West Middle School, 1900 N. Rockton Ave., and Roosevelt Center, 978 Haskell Ave.
Thursday
Morning — Walker Elementary, 1520 Post Ave.; Fairview Center, 512 Fairview Ave., and Montessori, 4704 N. Rockton Ave.
Afternoon — Washington Elementary, 1421 West St.; Fairview Center, 512 Fairview Ave., and Kennedy Middle School, 4664 N. Rockton Ave.
Friday
Morning — Jackson Elementary, 315 Summit St.; Kishwaukee Elementary, 526 Catlin St.; Froberg Elementary, 4555 20th St.; Brookview Elementary, 1750 Madron Road, and Barbour Elementary, 1506 Clover Ave.
Afternoon — Nelson Elementary, 623 15th St.; Riverdahl Elementary, 3520 Kishwaukee St.; Nashold Elementary, 3303 20th St.; Spring Creek Elementary, 5222 Spring Creek Road, and Lathrop Elementary, 2603 Clover Ave.
Monday
Morning — White Swan Elementary, 7550 Mill Road; Gregory Elementary, 4820 Carol Court; Hillman Elementary, 3701 Green Dale Drive, and Whitehead Elementary, 2325 Ohio Parkway.
Afternoon — Cherry Valley Elementary, 619 E. State St., Cherry Valley; Thompson Elementary, 4949 Marion Ave.; New Milford Elementary, 2128 New Milford Road, and Flinn Middle School, 2525 Ohio Parkway.
Tuesday, Dec. 8
Morning — Marsh Elementary, 2021 Hawthorne Drive; RESA, 1800 Ogilby Road; Lincoln Middle School, 1500 Charles St., and Auburn freshmen, 520 N. Pierpont Ave.
Afternoon — Eisenhower Middle School, 3525 Spring Creek Road; ACE, 3051 Rotary Road; East High School, 2929 Charles St., and Auburn High School, 5110 Auburn St.
Wednesday, Dec. 9
Morning — Guilford High School, 5620 Spring Creek Road, and Jefferson High School, 4145 Samuelson Road.
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