The Clermont County General Health District will hold H1N1 vaccination clinics the week for Felicity-Franklin Elementary, Middle, and High Schools; Williamsburg Elementary, Middle, and High Schools; Genesis School, St. Elizabeth Seton, St. Andrews, Milford Christian Academy, Children's Meeting House, and St. Marks.
"The Health District will have both the live virus vaccine (the nasal spray) and the inactivated virus vaccine (the flu shot) at the school clinics," said Clermont Health Commissioner Marty Lambert. "We currently have more nasal spray vaccine than injectable vaccine on hand, so, if there are no health reasons that prohibit the nasal spray, we would like to encourage parents to choose that option."
Health experts say both vaccines are safe and effective. You cannot get the flu from either of the vaccines; the live virus used in the nasal spray is a weakened version of the virus that actually makes people sick.
"Many people may not realize that their children have already received 'live' virus vaccines through their routine childhood inununizations," said Lambert. "Both the MMR and Varicella (chicken pox) vaccines are 'live' virus vaccines."
Among the advantages of receiving the flu mist: no shot is involved, it does not contain the preservative thimerisol, and lines for the nasal spray are shorter and faster than the ones for the shots.
