Great Falls schools begin H1N1 flu vaccine clinics

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Now that the City County Health Department feels that most high-risk target groups have been reached, it's taking the H1N1 flu vaccine into Great Falls schools.

Sara Duval, a counselor at Morningside Elementary, spent the morning offering support to nervous kids.

Duval noted, "It's very scary for kids. They hear a lot of wise tales about needles being very long and it's going to hurt, so it's pretty scary for them."

For some nervous students, having a friendly face near makes a big difference.

Duval said, "They know who I am. They know I'm here to talk, but more importantly just there to hug them, hold their hand."

Despite the nerves and jitters, over 130 kids got the vaccine at Morningside - nearly one-third of the student population.

Principal Bill Salonen said, "When I think of when the outbreak first occurred here in school and the havoc that plays, with kids missing instruction, teachers having to give the homework, families having to come by and get it, this was a huge help if we can prevent the absences that would normally occur with an outbreak."

An estimated 3,000 area students will get vaccinated at these school clinics, and just in time for the holidays.

Kate Marone of the health department noted, "They're going to be home and they're going to be visiting family members, and traveling all over the country, and so they might come in contact with people that are sick, so we want to keep them healthy so that when they come back to school in January, we don't have a resurgence of the flu that we saw back in October."

Morningside's clinic took just under two hours, with very few hiccups along the way.

"Today has been pretty good. We had a couple second graders that were pretty nervous. It's just scary getting shots," said Duval.

The health department will continue school clinics over the next two weeks, offering the vaccination to a total of 20 schools.

The Health Department hopes to get all school vaccination completed before winter break, which begins December 18th.