Officials update schools on flu

Schoolchildren will be among the first to have access to the swine flu vaccine, Angela Barosso of the Carson City Health Department told school board members Tuesday.

She said once the H1N1 vaccine becomes available, clinics will be set up in elementary schools for students whose parents wish to have them vaccinated.

"It is totally voluntary," she stressed.

She said the vaccine is still in clinical trial, but experts anticipate recipients will need two doses taken within 21-28 days.

Barosso said the Centers for Disease Control is working with five manufacturers to produce enough vaccine for the whole country.

She said they expect to produce

45 million doses by October then

20 million per week after that.

"We cannot know for sure when they will be here exactly," she said.

The first round will be reserved for those deemed to be most at risk. They include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel, people between the ages of 6 months and 24, and people 25 through 64 years of age with compromised immune systems.

Once the high-risk population is immunized, she said, the vaccine should be available to the general population by December or January.

Barosso said that once the vaccines are available, they will be offered at the health clinic as well as through private physicians.

She said the health department will also be offering the traditional flu shot this season as well with free shots from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Carson City Senior Center and at the Nevada National Guard.