H1N1 making its mark

Most area hospital systems are without the H1N1 vaccine.

STAFF REPORT

The H1N1 flu is making its mark in the attendance books at Mahoning Valley schools, and has people marking their calendars for flu shots.

The so-called swine-flu vaccine recently arrived at county and city public health departments, and they have begun giving shots to those slated to receive doses in the first round of vaccinations.

The public health departments are also scheduling clinics in various school districts to inoculate students, one of the populations being hardest hit.

Health officials say 90 percent to 95 percent of flu cases are H1N1, as opposed to the seasonal flu, which is expected to hit later this year and peak in February and March.

For H1N1 vaccine, most area hospitals are in the same boat: They don’t have any.

Those without any H1N1 vaccine include Humility of Mary Health Partners and Sharon Regional Health System.

When the doses do arrive, HMHP, with hospitals in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, has plans to vaccinate its employees, particularly those in the emergency and maternity departments, and inpatients who qualify for the first round of shots, such as pregnant women, a spokeswoman said.

Alliance City Hospital, however, has received H1N1 vaccine to inoculate employees, said spokeswoman Patricia Kimerer.

Likewise, Forum Health’s Northside Medical Center received about 100 doses last week, which was offered to staff members at highest risk, such as pregnant women, emergency room and labor and delivery personnel, said Dr. John Venglarcik, a pediatrician at Forum and medical director for the Mahoning County health district.

Forum’s Trumbull Memorial and Hillside Rehabilitation hospitals in Trumbull County did not receive the vaccine when Northside did.

While neither HMHP nor Forum say they are immediately planning to open off-site facilities to treat flu patients, Dr. Venglarcik said President Obama’s declaration of emergency facilitated that action should it become necessary.

In Youngstown, for instance, the president’s action would enable the hospitals to use facilities such as the former Southside Medical Center (now Oakhill Renaissance Place) or Tod Children’s Hospital, and get paid by Medicare and Medicaid and private insurance, even though the facilities are no longer approved for patient care by those organizations.

In various school districts, public health departments are preparing to conduct H1N1 flu shot clinics; and it appears just in time, as school districts are reporting increased flu-related absenteeism.

The Mahoning County District Board of Health will have flu shot clinics in schools beginning this week through November, as well as a second round of clinics from children age 9 and under who require a second shot at least 21 days after the first inoculation.

The department has built up a cache of vaccine that “should allow us to meet the needs of the school clinics,” said Matthew Stefanak, county health commissioner.

Canfield schools, in cooperation with the county health board, will offer a free H1N1 clinic Nov. 13 at Canfield High School for students in grades K-12. Students who are 10 or younger will need to get a second dose of the vaccine and can do so from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 10 at Hilltop Elementary.

The absenteeism rate at Western Reserve High School in Mahoning County hit 25 percent “for a day or two,” said district Superintendent Charles Swindler. It was back to 4 percent Monday. The normal rate for this time of year is between 10 and 14 percent, he said.

“The high school [with about 270 students] is pretty much back to normal now,” he said, adding that the middle school went through a rash of suspected flu-related absences a week ago and the absentee rate Monday was at 9 percent, which is still a little above average.

The bug now seems to have hit the elementary school where absenteeism was at 16 percent Monday and climbing.

The district has about 800 students, Swindler said.

Frank Lazzeri, Boardman superintendent, said normal absenteeism this time of year among the district’s 4,600 students is about 5 percent. The district has been tracking absences for the last two weeks and found them to range from 7 to perhaps 11.5 percent among students.

“Those are pretty good numbers,” Lazzeri said, pointing out that in past seasonal flu epidemics, absenteeism has soared to 25 and even 35 percent.

In South Range, Superintendent Dennis Dunham said absenteeism last week was about 15 percent among the 1,300-member student body. Normal absenteeism runs around 4 to 5 percent, he said.

“We’re doing better this week,” he said, adding that absenteeism tends to spike, and it’s difficult to attribute all absences to the flu.

“We have not been hit yet real bad,” said Superintendent Kirk Baker of Jackon-Milton schools. The district was fine up until Monday, he said, when 34 high school students and 24 middle school students were absent, he said, noting that elementary figures weren’t yet available. The high school and middle school combined have an enrollment of about 400, giving the schools a combined absentee rate of about 15 percent.

Dr. Robert Zorn, Poland superintendent, said absenteeism has dropped so far this week compared to last week. The 2,332-student school district saw an average of 100 students out per day from the high, middle and McKinley elementary schools. On Monday each of those schools saw between 25 and 30 students off.

Campbell schools will have an H1N1 clinic from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 20. A second clinic for booster vaccinations for students under age 9 is set for Dec. 17. No times are set yet. The clinics will be at the elementary and middle school building on Community Circle.

Lowellville schools will offer its clinic from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 11. Signup will be in the cafetorium. Another clinic will be set for a booster shot for children under 9.

The school district reported that it has an absenteeism rate of 8 percent to 9 percent, up from its normal range of 4 percent to 5 percent.

In Trumbull County, school districts without their own city health department are awaiting word from the county health department as to the dates when free flu vaccination clinics will take place in their schools. Those include Hubbard and Liberty.

Sandy Swan of the county’s nursing division said the health department still hopes to begin having the vaccination clinics in the schools Nov. 2-6, but the department is waiting on the vaccines to arrive here before it sets specific dates.

In the meantime, an inoculation clinic is planned from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the county health department for people most at risk, including children. The health department is at 176 Chestnut St. N.E. in Warren.

Newton Falls will have free H1N1 vaccinations for students as soon as the vaccine is available. Children in K-2 will be the first targeted group.

In Niles, shot vaccinations (not the nasal vaccination) will be given at the schools the week of Nov. 9, said Rocco Adducci, Niles superintendent. The Niles Health Department has about 2,000 doses, which Adducci said will likely be sufficient to handle the 2,800 students and 300 staff. No child will receive the vaccination without a signed consent form, Adducci added.

Jim Dobson, Girard health commissioner, said he has not set dates for Girard schoolchildren to receive the vaccine because the department is waiting on vaccinations. Kids in the school district who are at high risk have the opportunity to receive the shot at the Girard Health Department offices after school (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.)

The Warren Health Department is not setting a specific date yet for children in the Warren school system to receive the H1N1 vaccine until it receives its shipment.

Don Mook, Columbiana schools superintendent, said it and all the other districts will get their vaccine from the Columbiana County Board of Health. Columbiana will administer vaccines at a later date for students. He says attendance is 1,006 kids.

Absenteeism was a little down Monday, at about 92 percent in Columbiana as compared to 95 to 96 percent on a normal day.

alcorn@vindy.com

SEE ALSO: FLU VACCINE | Clinic sites.