By Nailah Ellis Timberlake
The Centers for Disease Control reports that 41 states are currently experiencing widespread influenza activity and that the number of cases is unprecedented.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/HEALTH/09/30/h1n1.vaccine.decision/art.h1n1.vaccine.csl.gi.jpg caption="Clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of the H1N1 vaccine have been under way since the summer."]
Among the heavy flu states is New York. In New York City, the numbers of infected were huge last spring at the outset of the H1N1, or Swine Flu epidemic.
Even though young children are being the hardest hit by the swine flu, many parents are not sold on the idea of vaccinating their young children. Queens resident Darrow Hill, father of a 4-year-old girl, is adamantly against it.
"I don't believe that giving vaccines at an early age is a good idea," he said. "It doesn't let the body fight off illnesses naturally and it leaves the body susceptible." In a press release issued this week, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said that, "getting vaccinated is safe, effective and simple," and urges parents to allow their children to be immunized.
Darrow said he would let his daughter get vaccinated only if a child she had been in direct contact with became infected.
Turia Goggins is a teacher's assistant at a Harlem elementary school where her students have already been sent home with permission slips for their parents to sign – or not sign – depending on whether they wanted their children to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
"At work, I'm worried about being infected and I'm constantly washing my hands and using hand sanitizer and having my students do the same," Goggins said. "It's overwhelming to be put at risk working in a school every day and then to worry about my child's health as well."
Turia has yet to sign the permission slip allowing her 11-year-old daughter to get the shot. "I need to do some research on the side effects first because my daughter has asthma and I want to make sure it won't affect her negatively. I'll more than likely let her get the shot because I think it's necessary to keep kids from getting sick."
Over the next few weeks, parents of every elementary public school student in New York City will have the option to have their child vaccinated at school. It's free and it comes in either a shot or nasal spray form – a medical expert on site decides which is more appropriate for each child.
The CDC has admitted that vaccine production is behind schedule and that, by the end of the month, there could be 10 million to 12 million fewer doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine then had originally been projected. The CDC says developing the vaccine using millions of chicken eggs takes time and there’s a laborious testing process.
Dr. Jane R. Zucker, assistant commissioner for the New York Bureau of Immunization, says she doesn't foresee any delay in getting the vaccine out to elementary schools in New York City.
"We had been informed that the allocation of the vaccine provided to New York City is lower than it's expected to be," she said, "so we've been distributing it with a focus on those that care for children and we anticipate that we will have enough vaccines to continue the school program at this time."
According to the city's health department, the city expects to receive about 1.2 million doses of nasal spray and injectable vaccine by the end of the month, followed by shipments of 2 million doses each month during November, December and January. The first round of vaccinations in elementary schools will start in the next few weeks, with weekend vaccinations in November for middle and high school students.