US school swine flu event shows vaccine challenge
* School effort shows where bumps are in the road
* Some parents doubt vaccine safety
* Paperwork a barrier
LANDOVER, Maryland, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. governmentmedia event to promote H1N1 school vaccinations on Fridayincluded VIPs, cute kids and a phalanx of television cameras --but only one in five children at the school had proper parentalconsent to get immunized.
"This school was ready to go," Health and Human ServicesSecretary Kathleen Sebelius declared after touring a makeshiftvaccination clinic in the cafeteria at Dodge Park ElementarySchool, near Washington.
But 80 percent of the student body were ineligible forvaccinations due to missing paperwork during the day-long swineflu clinic.
Federal officials did not want to discuss the turnout. Itunderscored the challenge facing the U.S. government's $6.4billion immunization effort which involves the widespread useof schools as vaccine clinics for the first time in ageneration.
H1N1 poses a greater danger of severe illness and death forchildren and young people than seasonal flu, which isparticularly dangerous for the elderly.
Only about 20 percent of U.S. children get vaccinatedagainst seasonal flu in a typical year. Some parents, includingmany at Dodge Park Elementary, are holding back on H1N1vaccination because of worries about the newness of the vaccine-- concerns that health officials say are unfounded.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said onFriday that 76 U.S. children have died from H1N1 since April,with widespread swine flu in 37 states.
Most victims had underlying disease but 20 to 30 percentwere healthy before they contracted swine flu.
This death toll compares with 46 to 88 pediatric deaths forentire flu seasons over the past three years, the CDC said.
250 MILLION DOSES
Dodge Park is among the first schools in the United Statesto serve as a clinic for student vaccinations as the governmentrolls out up to 250 million doses of vaccine by year end.
There will be some 90,000 vaccination sites nationwideincluding doctors' offices, clinics, hospitals and stores.
Federal officials have cautioned that the early weeks ofthe immunization program could be bumpy as state and localhealth departments cope with the strain.
One problem at Dodge Park was bureaucratic. Dozens ofchildren could not get immunized because their parentssubmitted incomplete consent forms, officials said.
Another was that the only vaccine on offer was AstraZeneca(AZN.L) unit MedImmune's nasal spray, which is unsuitable forchildren with underlying conditions such as asthma. Injectablevaccine is due to become available next week.
But school officials said the main barrier was the safetyconcern.
"Many parents are not comfortable with it. They'd like tosee more testing," school nurse Irene Campbell explained afterhelping to immunize 107 students out of a student body of 510.
Popular safety concerns are frustrating for public healthofficials, who say clinical trials show the new vaccine to beas safe and effective as seasonal flu vaccinations.
"It's very safe. Although the virus is new, the vaccine isnot new. It's made exactly the way seasonal flu is made year inand year out," Sebelius said.
The Obama administration has ordered vaccine from fivecompanies: Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA), CSL Ltd (CSL.AX),Novartis AG (NOVN.VX), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and MedImmune. (Editing by Maggie Fox and Alan Elsner)
Source: Reuters
