SARASOTA - The Sarasota County Health Department worked with the school district and parents to vaccinate 12,482 students in pre-K through 12th grades against the H1N1 (swine) flu virus at school clinics in November and December. The number includes public, private and home-schooled students. The clinics were held at elementary schools after school hours, on weekends at schools and at Health Department locations, and at middle and high schools during school hours.
The first public clinics for all Sarasota County residents were held Dec. 5, and children under the age of 10 who were vaccinated in early November were eligible to get the second shot at those clinics, as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for that age group.
The Sarasota County Health Department Web site has the latest information about the availability of the H1N1 vaccine at public clinics and private providers. Click here to visit the site: Sarasota County Health Department
Now that the school clinics are over it is still important for everyone, whether or not they have been vaccinated, to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. Health Department and school district officials emphasize that there are everyday actions that everyone can do to help reduce the spread of H1N1 (swine) flu:
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
- Wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel, especially after coughing and sneezing.
- Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Avoid contact with those who are ill.
The district continues to work with the Health Department to address H1N1 (swine) flu concerns during the 2009/10 school year:
- The district has made hand sanitizers available for use in classrooms under the supervision of adults.
- Custodians/building supervisors will continue efforts initiated in the spring to clean commonly touched areas (i.e. doorknobs, light switches, handrails, etc.) often.
- School staff will identify students exhibiting flu-like symptoms who will then be evaluated by the Health Room Aide or School Nurse, and isolated if necessary.
- Parents/guardians will then be contacted and requested to pick up their children as soon as possible.
Students with influenza-like illness must remain at home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). A fever is a temperature which is elevated above 100 degrees. Parents, especially those of medically fragile children – those with ongoing health issues such as asthma, diabetes and other diseases and illnesses are urged to seek out early medical care from their doctor or health care provider.
H1N1 INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
Click on the following link for important information for parents (Dec. 2009):
H1N1 Vaccine: What Parents Should Know
The Florida Department of Health operates the Florida Flu Information Hotline. The toll-free number is 877-352-3581 (24 hours, 7 days a week: live operator 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday; recorded information at other times). The following TTY/FL Relay numbers are available for the deaf and hearing-impaired: English 800-955-8771, Spanish 877-955-8773, Haitian Creole 877-955-8707.
Click on the following link for general flu information from the Florida Department of Health:
www.MyFluSafety.com
Click on these links for H1N1 (swine) flu information fliers in six languages from the Sarasota County Health Department:
H1N1 info flier English
H1N1 info flier Spanish
H1N1 info flier Haitian Creole
H1N1 info flier Russian
H1N1 info flier Ukrainian
H1N1 info flier Vietnamese
Click here for the script of Dr. Heymann's August phone message to parents (PDF file):
Dr Heymann H1N1 Connect-ED script 8-09
Click here for Superintendent White's August letter to parents (PDF file in English and Spanish):
Superintendent letter to parents H1N1 8-20-09
Click here for a 20-minute video message to school district staff from the Sarasota County Health Department (QuickTime file):
Sarasota County Health department message
Click here for a 20-minute video message to school district staff from the Sarasota County Health Department (Windows Media file):
Sarasota County Health department message
Click here for a letter to superintendents from Governor Charlie Crist and other state officials (PDF file):
Gov. Crist H1N1 letter 8-13-09
Click here to visit the Sarasota County Health Department Web site:
Sarasota County Health Department