Junior high school students in the western region will get the opportunity to be vaccinated against H1N1 influenza A this week.

Dr. Greg Mercer, medical officer of health for the western region, is hoping to have students from Grades 7 to 9 in Western Health’s area vaccinated for swine flu on Thursday and Friday.

He believes there will be enough vaccine on hand to deliver the swine flu shot to the junior high school population — roughly 2,300 teenagers.

He said the decision was made on a provincial level because of the amount of adjuvanted vaccine Newfoundland and Labrador is receiving. Adjuvanted vaccine is mixed with additives such as Vitamin E to give the immune system a boost.

School populations are easily to plan vaccinations for that people from high-risk categories, he noted.

“There’s certainly advantages in looking at school populations because that’s a very defined group,” Mercer said.

“You know in your health region, or the province as a whole, how many students there are in Grades 7, 8 and 9 as a roll-out number.

“When you put out a call for all people with chronic conditions under 65, you never really know what you’re going to get.”

There are a lot of people in the general population with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or lung conditions.

He said many have only one condition, but there are a number who have more than a single health challenge.

There will be roughly 4,500 doses of vaccine on hand once Western Health receives a shipment today. There have been two shipments this week and two more are expected next week.

While there is a small possibility of running out of H1N1 vaccine, he’s still not expecting to.

Mercer said the health authority should run out of adjuvanted vaccine, it can offer unadjuvanted vaccine to people above the age of 10.

“In a school situation, if we offered that to parents, most of them would say ‘yes.’”

Vaccination schedule

On Thursday, Grade 7-9 students will be vaccinated at:

• Holy Cross All-Grade (Daniel’s Harbour)
• Long Range Academy (Cow Head)
• Hampton Academy
• Bonne Bay Academy (Woody Point)
• Jakeman All-Grade (Trout River)
• Xavier Junior High School ( Deer Lake)
• Piccadilly High
• Lourdes Elementary
• Stephenville Middle and Stephenville High
• Our Lady of Mercy and Appalachia High (St. George’s)
• St. Michael’s Elementary (Stephenville Crossing)
• St. James Junior High (Port aux Basques)
• Grandy’s River Collegiate (Burnt Islands)
• Burgeo Academy
• Presentation Junior High, G.C. Rowe Junior High and Immaculate Heart of Mary School (Corner Brook)

Friday vaccinations will take place at:

• Roncalli High School (Port Saunders)
• Gros Morne Academy (Rocky Harbour)
• Main River Academy (Pollards Point)
• Pasadena Academy
• Our Lady of the Cape and Ecole Notre-Dame-du-Cap (DeGrau)
• St. Thomas Aquinas (Port au Port)
• E.A. Butler School (McKay’s)
• Belanger Memorial (Upper Ferry)
• St. James All-Grade (Lark Harbour)
• Templeton Academy (Meadows)
• St. Peter’s Academy (Benoit’s Cove)
• Ecole Sainte Anne (Mainland)

Source: Western Health