Schaumburg schools get H1N1 shots Wednesday
Students in Schaumburg schools are scheduled to get voluntary vaccinations against the H1N1 flu virus Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The shots will be available only to students and qualifying faculty in schools in the Schaumburg ZIP codes of 60193, 60194 and 60195, officials said Thursday.
District 54 schools in Hoffman Estates are tentatively scheduled for vaccinations in the second week of December, followed by schools in Hoffman Estates in the third week of December, and schools in Roselle and Elk Grove Village in the first week of January.
The Schaumburg immunization targets two private schools, St. Peter Lutheran School and Schaumburg Christian School, and 13 schools in Schaumburg Elementary District 54: Addams Junior High, Aldrin, Blackwell, Campanelli, Churchill, Collins, Dirksen, Dooley, Enders-Salk, Frost, Hale, Hoover, and Keller Junior High.
The Cook County Department of Public Health will give out shots or nasal sprays, depending on each student's medical history. The immunizations will be given during normal school hours, and classes will go on as usual.
Four to seven people are expected to administer vaccinations at each school, and each person is expected to perform about 10 vaccinations per hour.
District 54 has about 6,400 students in the Schaumburg schools, and so far parents of almost 4,000 have submitted consent forms to participate.
In Palatine Elementary School District 15, parents received phone calls Thursday alerting them that vaccinations for H1N1, also known as swine flu, are scheduled for Dec. 1 at Conyers, Sandburg and Plum Grove schools in Rolling Meadows. Cook County officials would not confirm that, saying only that schools must plan ahead for vaccinations, but any dates in December are tentative due to supply restrictions.
District 54 has had a few days this school year when more than 5 percent of students were absent, triggering a report to the county, but nothing extreme, spokeswoman Terri McHugh said.
Schaumburg Christian enrolls about 1,200 students, and St. Peter has about 300 students.
The county has limited school vaccinations so far to elementary schools, and is planning to expand to high schools, but will allow high school students at Schaumburg Christian to get the vaccine because there are only about 100 of them.
"We pray it works to protect our kids," St. Peter Principal Roger Kirsch said. "That's our goal."
Federal health officials recommend children 9 and younger get two doses, 21 to 28 days apart, to make the vaccine fully effective. Schools do not expect to hold another round of vaccinations, so parents will have to find the second shot elsewhere.
So far limited vaccine supplies are expected to increase substantially by December, making them available at doctors' offices and pharmacies.
The shots are intended for those most at risk of serious complications from the flu: pregnant women, caregivers for infants under 6 months, anyone age 6 months to 24 years, those 25 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions like respiratory, cardiac or immune-system problems, and medical workers.
For information, parents may call their schools, or see cookcountypublichealth.org/flu, email beaware@ccdph.net, or call (708) 492-2828.