In late October, swine flu hit Penn Manor hard, with a whopping 214 students absent in one day! (Not all these absences are swine flu related.)
The state of Pennsylvania originally offered the vaccination to those in specific target groups, including individuals 6 months – 24 years of age, caregivers for children under 6 months of age, pregnant women, emergency medical service personnel, and individuals under 65 years of age with underlying health conditions.
Now that most of the people that are more prone to complications have been vaccinated, it’s open to the public, free of charge.
Penn Manor’s nurse, Anne Butterfield, advises people to get it.
“There has been a decline in the past few weeks, but it’s going to return in waves,” said Butterfield.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is offering H1N1 vaccinations free of charge January 8th and 9th, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. In Lancaster County, there are two locations: Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center in Manheim, and Lancaster/Lebanon IU13 in Lancaster.
An appointment must be made first, at www.H1N1inPA.com, under “What’s Hot,” or by calling 1-877-724-3258.
By: Brittany Burke
Swine flu? I ain’t afraid of no swine flu. Bring it on!
Good story, but somewhat disturbing.. that’s a lot of kids.