Hundreds swarm H1N1 clinic

By RICK ROUAN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

H1N1 Flu Shot

Video

BOARDMAN — The number of people in Mahoning County who have been vaccinated for H1N1 could have doubled Thursday at a flu clinic at Boardman High School, a county health official said.

“Because of the fact that it [the vaccine] came quicker, a lot of people are afraid,” said Diana Colaianni, nursing director for the Mahoning County District Board of Health.

The Boardman High School clinic on Thursday brought throngs of high school students into the cafeteria beginning at 1:30 p.m. Superintendent Frank Lazzeri said that he did a phone survey about three weeks ago that revealed that about 1,800 parents would send students to the clinic.

The district sent home informational packets and medical forms to homes and used its automated calling system to let families know about the clinic, Lazzeri said.

Lazzeri said he anticipated the clnic would last as late as 9 p.m. Thursday based on the response. At 3:30 p.m., the clinic was going to begin taking students from other schools in the district.

The clinic was the sixth in the area, Colaianni said, but the others have been at smaller districts. Clinics at Struthers Middle School and West Branch High School are scheduled for Friday and Saturday respectively.

The health board has about 11,000 vaccines and has not been in danger of running out, said Dr. John Venglarcik, medical director at the Mahoning County District Board of Health.

Venglarcik said that 30 to 40 percent of the at-risk populations have been immunized in the areas where the county has set up clinics. That cross section of people is on par with the national average, he said.

The phones to both the county health department and the school district have been ringing off the hook with people trying to find out when and where they can get the vaccination.

“The steady stream of good useful information is starting to work,” Venglarcik said. “People are starting to realize that the few negative things they’re hearing are myth and innuendo.”

Some Boardman High School students discussed such negatives while waiting in line for the vaccine.

One group of girls talked about a YouTube video that showed a former Washington Redskins cheerleader who was physically disabled after getting the vaccine.

But others shrugged off the rumors and perceived problems, saying that it was more important to be protected than to worry about the rare side effects.

“It seems a lot like it’s been blown up too much,” said Alex Martz, 18, a senior. “There’s always a little bit of worry. I figure getting side effects is better than swine flu.”

For Christina Johnson, getting the vaccine was a way to protect against having to miss school unnecessarily.

“I’d rather not miss school just because I got sick,” said Johnson, 16, a junior.

The clinic also was open to community members who fall into high-risk groups, such as those with a disease that compromises their immune system.

Monica Bialik has been wearing a surgical mask every time she leaves her home for several weeks to avoid bringing the flu home to her grandson, who has cystic fibrosis.

“It took me a really long time to find the vaccine,” she said. “It was just a wild mad goose chase.”

Bialik said her grandson’s pediatrician did not get the vaccine, but the two finally got vaccinated Friday in Boardman.

The fear of the flu has driven people to get vaccinated, said Sharon Mosconi, a registered nurse of 30 years and volunteer for the county.

“We have had other scares,” she said. “I think people are more frightened this time.”

rrouan@vindy.com