H1N1 Update

In order to communicate with parents and community stakeholders regarding H1N1, this link will provide up-to-date information on actions and precautionary strategies Amherst County Public Schools is taking to decrease the spread of flu among students and school staff.

July, 2009:
• July 27, 2009 Meeting between Superintendent and Dr. Kerry Gateley, Regional Health Department Director and key staff members

August, 2009:
* Review of Pandemic Flu Plan (Ongoing)

* August 17, 2009
School-based seasonal FluMist immunization clinic permission packets distributed to ACPS students

• August 21, 2009
School requested to provide daily attendance surveillance information to VDH/VDOE

• August 24, 2009
Superintendent’s letter to parents/guardians

• September 14, 2009
Superintendent’s letter to parents/guardians

• September 25, 2009
Seasonal flu immunization clinics at all ACPS schools offered in collaboration with VDH Note: Make up day for any students who are absent and 5th grade students who are unable to receive the immunization due to a conflict with a scheduled assembly will be announced as soon as the date has been determined. The Health Department has run out of adult vaccine and will not be administering inoculations to ACPS staff. They are unable to obtain additional vaccine. All employees should obtain immunization against seasonal flu from their medical provider. Any payments received will be returned to the employee.

• September 29, 2009
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Health, has produced two videos to inform parents and school personnel of the steps they can take to prevent the spread of H1N1 A Influenza (also known as “swine flu”) and seasonal influenza.

The videos — “H1N1 for Parents” and “H1N1 for Educators” — are available for viewing on the VDOE H1N1 A Influenza Web site at this address: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/influenza/index.shtml#vdoe_guidance .

• October 08, 2009
The Health Department is now receiving the novel H1N1 vaccine and, since the novel H1N1 flu virus is currently circulating in our communities, the VDH is shifting its priority to vaccinating against novel H1N1. Therefore, VDH is postponing the administration of the seasonal FluMist immunization for seasonal flu in Amherst schools until November or December.

We will be distributing consent form packets for the H1N1 to the schools on Monday, October 12th. The permission packets will also contain a letter from Dr. Gateley explaining the medical rationale for the shift to H1N1 immunization. A letter from the Superintendent will also be sent to the parents as soon as we have definite dates for the administration of the H1N1 vaccine.

The H1N1 forms should be sent home with the students on Monday, October 12th and returned by Thursday, October 15th. We anticipate that the H1N1 vaccine may be administered as soon as the week of October 19th.

Note: The FluMist rosters and permission forms will be maintained in the schools until the FluMist seasonal flu clinics are rescheduled.

• October 15, 2009
The Virginia Health Department has received the H1N1 vaccine. It is NOT in mist form….it is an INJECTION. Parents were informed on the permission form that the method of delivery would depend on the type of vaccine received by VDH.
The VDH teams will visit the schools in the order listed. They will start at the first school at the time indicated and proceed to each school in order as they finish at the preceding school.

Monday, October 19th:
Team I
AEC 7:45 a.m.
MMS
Team II
MHES 9:00 a.m.
Team III
ACHS 7:45 a.m.

Tuesday, October 20th:
Team I
CES 9:00 a.m.
AES
Team II
AMS 7:45 a.m.

Wednesday, October 21st:
Team I
TES 9:00 a.m.
PVES
Team II
Amelon 9:00 a.m.
Elon

2009 H1N1 Flu ("Swine Flu") and You

The Health Department has indicated that they will administer the H1N1 vaccine to employees pending the availability of vaccine after all students have received the immunization each day and pending the availability of the employee to come to the school site when the immunizations are given to employees at the end of the scheduled immunization clinic.

Employees in the School Administration Office, Transportation, Child Nutrition Office, and Maintenance may participate at targeted schools on Tuesday or Wednesday if their schedule allows them to arrive at the designated time after the student immunizations are completed. The VDH staff will not wait for employees to arrive; the employee must be there at the designated time to receive the immunization. Mrs. Nicks will call the administrators for each of these departments each day to inform them if there is sufficient vaccine for employees of these departments and the time the immunizations will be administered.

Please read the H1N1 information and complete the permission form prior to coming to the immunization clinic.

http://www.amherst.k12.va.us/docs/ReadMeFirstSwineFluVac.pdf

http://www.amherst.k12.va.us/docs/SwineFluVacForm.pdf

• January 7, 2010
The Center for Disease Control recommends that children who are 6 months through 9 years of age (up to their 10th birthday) receive two doses of vaccine against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. While children are likely to have partial protection after a single dose, two doses are needed for full protection against this virus. The first dose was administered to ACPS students by the Virginia Department of Health nurses at the school-based H1N1 immunization clinics in November, 2009. The second dose of the H1N1 vaaccine will be administered by Virginia Health Department nurses in ACPS elementary schools on Tuesday, January 19th. In case of inclement weather, the H1N1 Second Dose clinics will be scheduled on Friday, January 22nd.

The original VDH permission form required a parent signature for the first and the second dose of the H1N1 vaccine. It is not necessary for parents to sign another permission form. Students who received the first H1N1 dose will automatically receive the second dose of the vaccine when the H1N1 Second Dose clinics are held at the student’s school. If a child has received the second dose from a medical provider or if the parent does not want the child to receive the second dose of the vaccine at the school-based H1N1 Second Dose clinic, the parent should notify the principal of the child’s school. If there are any questions, parents should contact the principal at the child’s school. The Amherst County Department of Health (946-9408) can also be a resource for information.

The Superintendent appreciates the care and concern shown by parents for their children and the cooperation shown during the vaccination process. Dr. Ratliff would like to thank everyone for their assistance in supporting our efforts to do the best for our children’s health as well as their education by helping to reduce the spread of influenza in our schools.