The St. Tammany Parish School Board announced that all students and employees would be given an opportunity to receive the H1N1 vaccine free of charge.

The vaccination campaign against the virus, commonly called the swine flu, has already begun in the schools with reminders to students to wash their hands, use tissue and then discard it when sneezing and screening students who exhibit flu-like symptoms. Extra cleaning supplies have also been provided for maintenance personnel to use in the hope of staving off the spread of the flu.

A vaccination campaign will begin in December on Saturdays with both the mist and the shots available. The schedule of vaccination location and dates is as follows: Dec. 5 Fontainebleau Junior High School; Dec. 12, Northshore High School; Jan.9, Covington High School; Jan. 16 Fontainebleau High School; and Jan. 26 Pearl River High School. There will be no charge for the vaccine, and siblings can be included. However, the only adults that will be able to receive the vaccine are employees of the school system with their IDs.

It is also important that children under nine years old receive the vaccine in December, because they will need two doses administered 28 days apart. By getting one in December, they can return in January for their second dose.

Dr. Parham Jaberi, Region 9 medical director for the Department of Health and Hospitals said that by focusing immunization on children, the spread of the disease would be slowed. Children often contract an illness at school, bring it home and then spread it to their families. By immunizing children, the whole family can benefit.

Jaberi said St. Tammany is the only school system in region 9 to take advantage of this program. “We appreciate St. Tammany stepping up to the plate,” he said.

He explained that the vaccine takes about two weeks to provide immunization to adults, though no vaccine ever provides 100 percent protection. Although the absentee rates have decreased in schools, Jaberi said that the rates are still higher than normal for this time of year.

Jaberi stressed that this effort is not meant to replace the doctor-patient relationship, and parents and children should get the immunization from their private physician whenever possible.

Two forms of the vaccine will be available—the mist and the injection, or shot. The mist is recommended for children under nine years old. It does contain a live virus and sometimes can produce a feeling that the person is getting sick. Children with asthma should not take the mist.

Parents will have to be present for students to receive the vaccination. There will also be forms to fill out that will be included in the information that will be sent home. Officials ask that forms be completed before arriving for the immunization in order to avoid delays.

Transportation to the locations on Saturdays will not be available and immunizations will only be given on those days.

In addition to the school system, St. Tammany Parish Hospital is also offering the vaccination to qualifying individuals as established by the Centers for Disease Control. The vaccinations are free to Medicaid patients between six months and 21 years of age and those with Medicare Part B coverage. All others are subject to a $10 fee. H1N1 flu vaccinations are available to established patients meeting CDC guidelines at the following locations: St. Tammany Physicians Network in Covington, 80 Gardenia Drive, Covington, 871-5900; St. Tammany Physicians Network 201 St. Ann Drive, Mandeville, 626-1717 and STPH Family Medical Clinic, 711 Riverside Drive, Franklinton, 839-9895.

For more information about the H1N1 flu and vaccinations, visit www.cdc. gov/h1n1flu/.