Panhandle Health District
8500 N. Atlas Road Hayden, Idaho 83835
www.phd1.idaho.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: November 23, 2009
Contact: Released by: Jim Fenton, Acting Director
Joyce Bergen
Acting Public Information Officer
(208) 415-5127
(208) 699-5198 (cell)
Vaccinations for Secondary Students Start Dec. 2
Hayden—The Panhandle Health District will provide H1N1 vaccinations for secondary school students with parental consent throughout the five northern counties starting on Dec. 2.
Students will bring home consent forms for a parent’s signature. Students need a signed consent form to get the vaccination. Consent forms are available on the PHD website—www.phd1.idaho.gov—in case students lose the forms given to them in school.
The vaccine will be provided for students only in the schools. Other family members can make appointments for public vaccination clinics scheduled later in December.
PHD finished vaccinating elementary school students in the five northern counties last week. More than 11,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine were given to children in public and private schools.
Vaccination of secondary students will continue through Dec. 11. Students older than 10 years old need only one dose of the vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Nov. 12 that H1N1 had infected 8 million children in the United States younger than 18 years. Of those children, 36,000 have needed hospitalization and 540 have died. Vaccinating children is a high priority and will provide protection against further illness in this vulnerable population.
For updated information on PHD’s H1N1 vaccination clinics, visit www.phd1.idaho.gov.