Students vaccinated against H1N1 virus

On Friday,  students of the Talkeetna Elementary, Trapper Creek Elementary and Su Valley High schools lined up to be vaccinated against the swine flu. The vaccinations were not mandatory but most students had their parent’s consent to get either the nasal spray or shot to ward off the H1N1 virus.

Altogether, over 100 students received the vaccine. School nurse Barbara Mercer said her team consisting of six nurses fanned out to get the vaccinations done in all the schools. Mercer said that the mass dispensing of the vaccine went off without a hitch and that the kids were tough and didn’t  throw fits when being injected with the vaccine.

They were done before lunch, Mercer said. She added that children younger than 10 years old need a second dose, which will be administered sometime in December.

Mercer had to drive to Palmer on Wednesday to get the vaccines. Her drive coincided with the area’s first major snow storm and as she drove back from Palmer, she encountered white-out conditions and difficulties to see the road.

As the swine flu continues to spread in the borough, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center announced a change to its visitation policies. Visitors under 12 years will not be allowed because the H1N1 virus is most prevalent among children. The medical center asks people who have a cough, fever, sore throat or a respiratory illness to not to visit the hospital in order to help reduce the risk of infection. These new policies will remain in effect during the flu season.