Unified Plan To Deal With H1N1

The health of your children will be a major focus when Savannah-Chatham Public Schools open for the new year tomorrow. There’s concern about the resurgence of the Novel H1N1 Flu Virus ...formerly known as Swine Flu. Teachers were busy today with last minute preparations.
As they map out their lesson plans there's a subject that all schools will have to deal with…H1N1. The Health Department, Savannah-Chatham School District, and Chatham Emergency Management have joined forces to protect students and prevent the spread of H1N1. Chatham County’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Diane Weems says vaccination clinics for the H1N1 Flu Virus could take place in some savannah schools this fall. “How many schools, which schools, and when we do that will depend on when we get the vaccine, how much vaccine we get, and who the priority groups will be for vaccination. But again we are making those plans now to have that as an option," says Dr. Weems. As the school system works with public health officials to prepare for H1N1 Superintendent Dr. Thomas Lockamy says informational pamphlets will go home with students tomorrow. Lockamy says from the classroom to restrooms students will have the necessities needed to reduce the risk of being exposed to H1N1. "Should the child have to go home because they have the virus we will provide the homework to the child. If that's not possible, if they have such a severe case that we're not comfortable sending a teacher into the home we will actually provide that makeup work when the child returns to school so that a child is not penalized because they happened to have had the H1N1 virus," says Dr. Lockamy. Dr. Weems says H1N1 is no more severe than seasonal flu. She says don't wait-- get your seasonal flu vaccine now. Georgia will get 2 million doses of the H1N1 Vaccine. Chatham County's first shipment is expected in mid -October. Officials are still working determine who will get the vaccine first. The Health Department is also planning to setup hotline numbers for the public.