Students of the St. Tammany Parish Public School System will soon be offered swine flu vaccinations free of charge, in a project being held in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH).

In a report to the School Board this past week, Supervisor Cathy Aime and Dr. Parham Jaberi, medical director for Region 9, DHH Office of Public Health, explained that arrangements were being finalized to offer the H1N1 vaccine to students. The effort will focus upon children nine years of age and younger, a group at-risk for serious consequences from the Swine Flu. That age group will require two doses 28 days apart, and the vaccination campaign is being designed to provide that schedule.

Vaccinations will also be given to school children of other ages, as well as to School System employees.

Letters will be sent out to parents with more details about the program as they become available. The vaccination campaign will take place on Saturdays at several schools on both sides of the parish. Parents may bring their children to the most convenient site, and employees will be able to get the shots by showing their ID cards.

Dr. Jaberi noted that the Department of Public Health held a mass vaccination exercise a couple of years ago, and the St. Tammany program against Swine Flu will put into practice the lessons learned from that exercise. He thanked the School Board for being one of the first School Systems in the state to conduct such a campaign and leading the way for other parishes to follow.

“Children often catch the flu from other children at their schools, then they go home and give it to their family members. By vaccinating the children and making them immune to the virus, it helps cut down the spread of the flu through the entire community,” he explained.

Mrs. Aime said that school children were learning how to prevent colds and flu by washing their hands repeatedly during the day, sneezing into their elbows, and placing used tissues into the trash. Students who exhibit flu-like symptoms at the beginning of the day are screened and sent home if necessary to prevent the spread of disease. Teachers and janitorial staff are continuing extra measures to combat the spread of colds and flu.

Dr. Jaberi spoke to the School Board in the Spring when concerns over the Swine Flu first arose. Over the past several months, he has maintained a close working relationship with School health officials to monitor H1N1 in the schools.