County wages war on flu

Ashley Cain receives a flu shot from nursing student Jennifer Gibson Tuesday morning at Del Norte High School. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

With both a virulent seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus known as swine flu lurking, health officials are working extra hard to protect Del Norte County. 

 The department’s first sortie is battling the seasonal flu on one of its front lines, schools.

Starting Monday, both departments and countless volunteers from the community began an effort to inoculate not only Del Norte County students, but their families as well, for free.

From Monday, October 5, to next Friday, the 16th, shots will be available at different schools each day. Clinics will be able to inoculate 35–60 students per hour.

“The prediction is for a pretty bad seasonal flu this year,” said Del Norte County Emergency Services Manager Cindy Henderson Tuesday while helping provide flu shots at Del Norte High School. “This makes getting to as many people as possible very important.”

Thirty percent of students at the high school received flu shots Tuesday. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

“We’ve had a really good response,” Henderson said. “Well over 300 students have come through (Tuesday) and we’ll be going to 3 p.m.”

Henderson said that she was hoping to get close to 40 percent of the high school inoculated, but in the end only ended up with 30 percent.

“That’s still a really good number,” she said.

Henderson said vaccinating this many people at the schools wouldn’t have been possible without the help of community volunteers.

“We’ve even had people come out of retirement to help get this done,” Henderson said. “Most of the clinics are being run by volunteers.”

Katelynn Woodall, 4, receives the nasal spray flu vaccine from nursing student Mindy Camper. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

According to Henderson, care givers for babies 6 months and younger, pregnant women, and health care providers are all high priority for the first swine flu vaccinations.

“We can’t vaccinate children 6 months or younger so it’s very important that caregivers get vaccinated,” Henderson said. “All pregnant women should be vaccinated as well.”

Henderson said that pregnant women should call their primary physician to ask whether the vaccination was going to be available; otherwise, it would be through the health department.

We have started working on a health bus, which will go out through the daycare providers and see if they want to be vaccinated,” said Henderson speaking to the importance of vaccinating care providers. “We are working on the logisitics of ensuring that everyone has access.”