DV on pins and needles over swine flu shots

Westfall — An uproar about the H1N1 virus has hit the Delaware Valley High School population. While there seem to be no confirmed cases of swine flu at present, DV has received a permit to administer the preventative shot, due in part to the high expense of testing and its great similarity to seasonal flu, . “We’re certainly monitoring attendance,” said 11/12 Principal Joe Casmus, “and I can’t say I’ve seen any spike in absentees. I think we’re very lucky.” Letters were sent home to parents asking their permission for their children to get the H1N1 injection after the school nurse, Ellen Orben completed the applications and testing for the school to become an innoculation site. Furthermore, janitors and teachers have been taking action to keep common areas clean to lessen the spread of germs. “I’m not really sure what to think about the vaccine,” said senior Janie Van der Toorn, “On one hand, the doctors (formulated) it really quick and people have had bad reactions, but on the other hand, the people having those reactions usually had problems to begin with.” Orben tallied the entire student population of the district and immediately ordered 5,403 doses plus a number of extras. The district hopes to have the vaccine within the next two to three weeks, administering it to students immediately. “There’s no good in storing it, it’s not good in storage. It’s good in people’s arms,” Casmus said. The shot will be administered by the school nurse and other volunteers, carefully documenting each student’s dosage in case something goes wrong. “In my years that I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a mass inoculation; this is my 33rd year, but we’ve never had anything of this nature,” Casmus said. Some students at the high school have been skeptical, only making the decision after long discussions with their parents. “I’m not getting the shot because it’s still questionable and it has not been tested enough,” senior Meaghan Irwin said. “I feel like we would serve as the guinea pigs that they would usually test it on. There have been reports where people have been getting sicker from the shot.” Since the swine flu and the seasonal flu seem similar, administrators have been hesitant to confirm flu cases, but students are either jumping to conclusions or legitimately sick. “Even though the school seems to be taking necessary precautions and informing people, there are still students getting sick. A few of my friends have missed so many days that their grades are being affected,” said junior Allie White. Despite the mass commotion, Delaware Valley seems to be doing their best to combat the contamination. “We as a school have done extra to prevent it - we encourage students to wash their hands or use the hand sanitizers, because the best prevention for swine flu is keeping your hands clean,” Casmus added. “The only thing a school can do is be proactive, and we’re being proactive. The sooner our students have the vaccine, either their symptoms are less or they don’t get it at all.”

In my years that I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a mass inoculation; this is my 33rd year, but we’ve never had anything of this nature,” 11/12 DVHS Principal Joe Casmus