Posted on Tue, Nov. 10, 2009

Wichita schools will begin offering H1N1, or swine flu, vaccines at four elementaries on Friday.

The schools are Benton, Kensler, McCollom and Peterson elementary schools.

No dates for any other school clinics have been set.

District officials said they received notice late last week that the Sedgwick County Health Department has 2,000 doses available for school clinics. Half are nasal mists and the other half are injections.

The vaccinations will be available at no cost to students at the four elementary schools and to pregnant employees at those schools.

The schools were selected because the number of vaccines would cover all students in the four schools, which are the only elementary schools that feed into Northwest High School, said district spokeswoman Susan Arensman. She added there were more than four elementary schools in the other six high school feeder patterns.

Permission slips will be distributed to schools when they are notified of the clinic dates. Information on Friday's clinics were sent home with students on Nov. 6, Arensman said.

A ParentLink message will also be sent to families to remind them of the clinic dates, according to the district.

The vaccine isn't mandatory for any student, but Arensman said a signed permission slip is needed for a student to receive one.

School health officials said they hope to have an H1N1 vaccine clinic at each school.

The district wanted to provide vaccines to elementary, middle and high schools in one area at the same time, but the health department said vaccines would go only to elementaries at first, Arensman said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends students under age 9 receive a second vaccine in about a month, but the schools won't offer it. Arensman said students will have to get the second shot at their physician's office or at a county health clinic.

Reach Lori Yount at 316-268-6269 or lyount@wichitaeagle.com.