Mat-Su public health officials are gearing up to organize their first large-scale H1N1 vaccination clinics. As the swine flu vaccine trickles into Alaska and is distributed by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the Mat-Su School District has announced swine flu vaccination clinics to be held at Colony High School on November 14, November 21 and December 21. Mat-Su Public Health holds a walk-in clinic on Friday, October 30.

Public Health nurse Jane Conard announced public vaccination clinics on November 19 at the Mat-Su College and on December 17 at the Curtis Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla. 

Working with the Mat-Su public health nurse, Talkeetna and Trapper Creek school nurse Barbara Mercer said Thursday that she is sending out information and consent form packages to parents this week. This will allow her to have all the paperwork done and to start vaccinating kids as soon as the first doses of H-1-N-1 vaccine arrive.

The vaccine is not mandatory for students to attend school and can be administered by injection or nasal spray. 

Vaccine doses were sent out last week to pharmacies and public health centers and are available for five target groups. Those groups are pregnant women, caretakers of children younger than 6 months old, healthcare and emergency service workers, children from 6 months to 24 years old and adults age 25 to 64 who have chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

The Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services said that influenza activity in Alaska and the whole country is elevated above what is expected at this time of year. In Alaska, hospitals reported 137 cases of influenza that required hospitalizations and three lab-confirmed deaths from the swine flu between September 1 and October 24, 2009.