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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 13, 2009

Moanalua Middle School students first to get swine flu vaccinations at school


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Nurse Jennifer Sua gets ready to inject a Moanalua Middle School student with swine flu vaccine. The students at Moanalua Middle were the first in the state to receive the vaccine in the school-clinic program.

GREGORY YAMAMOTO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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About 400 students, or 43 percent of the student body at Moanalua Middle School, were the state's first recipients of school-clinic swine flu vaccinations today.

Students, faculty and staff received the vaccination in the nasal spray form and injection today at the state's first flu clinic at school.
"It's about what we see with seasonal flu," said Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist for the Department of Health. "Children are part of the high-risk group and are vulnerable targets with this flu."
In all, 329 schools are participating in the school-based H1N1, or swine flu, vaccination clinics. Thousands of Hawaii middle and elementary school students will be receiving the flu vaccines over the next couple of weeks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that populations most at-risk for severe flu illness should get the vaccine. Those groups include:
• Pregnant women.
• People who live with or provide care for infants younger than six months.
• Health-care providers and emergency services personnel in direct patient contact.
• Anyone aged 6 months to 24 years and 25 years old to 64 who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for flu complications.
For more information on clinic schedules go to:
www.flu.hawaii.gov/flu-hawaii-gov/vaccination.html#schedule
Or call the Aloha United Way's 211 hot line.