October 16, 2009

Dear Parents,

The Festus R-VI School District is working closely with the Jefferson County Health Department to coordinate an H1N1 vaccination clinic campaign for students that are recommended to receive the vaccine in our district. Any vaccination to a child at a clinic conducted at the school in conjunction with the Jefferson County Health Department will be at no cost. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have outlined five high-risk groups that are encouraged to receive this vaccine:

· Pregnant women

· People who live with or care for children younger than six months of age

· Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact

· Children 6 months to 4 years of age

· Children 5 to 18 years of age with chronic medical conditions

We are still in the planning stages of our school clinics and currently do not have exact clinic dates scheduled. Festus R-VI is awaiting further information on vaccine availability from the Jefferson County Health Department. In order to prepare ourselves now to be ready to implement these plans at a moment’s notice we need to determine the number of doses required to hold one of these clinics. An H1N1 vaccine consent form is attached. By signing and returning this form, you are consenting to allow your child to be immunized during our school clinics with either injectable or nasal spray vaccine (whichever is deemed to be medically appropriate based on the child’s health and immunization history). This form also consents to allow the administration of two doses of vaccine for those students that require it (children aged 6 months to 9 years). The second dose would be given no sooner than 21 days after the first dose.

The CDC has reported that the H1N1 vaccine has been made in the same way that seasonal vaccine is made each year by the same manufacturers and using the same methods. The CDC has also reported that clinical trials have shown so far that the safety of the H1N1 vaccine is comparable to the annual seasonal vaccine. As a safety measure, each vaccinated child will receive an immunization card at the time of their first H1N1 vaccination. This card will be used to document the location, date, vaccine type, lot number and dose of the immunization administered. These cards should be kept by the child’s family and presented at the time the second dose of the H1N1 vaccine is administered, if needed.

Influenza is not always a mild illness, and severe complications can occur in some people including otherwise healthy individuals. The best way to prevent illness is to practice good hygiene and to get vaccinated. If you would like your child to be vaccinated, please review the attached documents and return the completed Vaccination Consent Form to the school your child attends no later than Thursday, October 22, 2009. Children with incomplete forms will not be vaccinated. If you do not want your child to be vaccinated at a school clinic, you do not need to return the form. Returning a signed form will not guarantee that your child will be vaccinated, as amount s of vaccine are limited, and high risk individuals will be served first.

Again, at this time, we are only gathering preliminary data to determine the number of children that would participate in a vaccination clinic. No other specifics regarding a date, time, or location are available at this time.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Assistant Superintendent of School, Dr. Link Luttrell at 636.937-4920 or via e-mail at llutt@festus.k12.mo.us. The Jefferson County Health department can also be a resource for information and that phone number is 636.797-3737.

Sincerely,

Dr. Randy Sheriff

Superintendent of Schools