WHEELING - Parents who think they can get their child vaccinated before it is their turn should think again.
While attempting to get the swine, or H1N1, flu vaccination early, a handful of children were turned away during a mass clinic Monday. The clinic was for students of Triadelphia Middle School and Steenrod and Woodsdale elementary schools only. It was held at Triadelphia Middle.
Howard Gamble, Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department administrator, said two families who didn't qualify, with five children total, wanted to have their children vaccinated during the clinic. But because the children were not students at Triadelphia, Steenrod or Woodsdale, they were turned away.
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Some students who lined up for swine flu vaccinations Monday at Triadelphia Middle School were turned away because the clinic was only for those who attend certain schools.
"We can't begin making exceptions," Gamble said. "(Health Officer Dr. William Mercer) and I talked about this. We have to keep to a plan. ... We can't pick and choose and get caught being biased."
Gamble said the health department brought enough vaccine to inoculate all 1,100 students from the three schools. More than 600 children were vaccinated. In addition to the five children who were not students of the schools, Gamble said several children who had fevers also were turned away.
He noted make-up vaccination clinics for students will be scheduled at a later date for students who missed their designated clinic or for students whose parents changed their minds about their children receiving the vaccine.
Fact Box
THE NEXT CLINIC
Students from St. Vincent de Paul and Wheeling Catholic elementary schools and Wheeling Central Catholic High School can receive the swine flu vaccination from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Ohio Valley Medical Center's Nurses Residence auditorium, 2000 Eoff St., Wheeling.
Children who were turned away because of illness can attend the next student clinic, but they must be fever-free for at least 24 hours after their initial illness.
And if a child who had to be turned away at a clinic became fatally ill and died?
"It would be a regrettable event if that happened, but we have planning for a purpose," Gamble answered. "We must stay true to the plan. If we give special exceptions, we run into chaos."
Schools chosen to receive vaccine are based on rates of absenteeism and reports of illness or flu-like symptoms. The number of vaccine doses the health department anticipates receiving also is taken into consideration when planning clinics. When it comes to vaccinating the student population, the health department makes apparently infected schools a priority.
"It doesn't make sense to let those children hang," Gamble said of healthy students at facilities with high rates of illness.
A few physicians in Ohio County have registered with the state to receive vaccine to inoculate the public, Gamble noted. Currently, two doctors each have 200 nasal doses available: Dr. Richard Irvin in Elm Grove and Doctors Urgent Care in Wheeling. A few others received vaccine and already used it to inoculate their nursing staffs.
The physicians are supposed to vaccinate only those who fall into the five priority categories set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those categories include: direct health care workers; pregnant women; people who live with or care for children 6 months old or younger; people between 6 months old and 24 years old; and people 25-64 years old who have chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
Gamble anticipates more vaccine designated for the registered physicians will arrive at a later date.