Nov 4, 2009 5:31 pm US/Eastern
Campaign Announced To Protect Children From Flu
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Baltimore City leaders announced Wednesday a massive campaign to protect school-aged children from the H1N1 flu.
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Baltimore City is fighting the H1N1 in schools with a massive campaign just launched Wednesday morning.
Weijia Jiang has more on what parents need to know.
The city urges parents to agree to have their children vaccinated in school. A family that never got that chance is helping to spread the message.
One month after they lost their 14-year-old daughter, Destinee, to the H1N1 flu, James and Deirdre Parker are ready to talk.
"You're still talking and laughing and the next thing you know, we don't hear anything at all. She's just laying in the bed," said her mother, Deirdre Parker.
"She was totally healthy. No asthma, no nothing. Totally healthy," said her father, James Parker.
In September, the family broke their story first to
WJZ. It was the city's first pediatric death. Alongside the Parkers Wednesday morning, the mayor announced a major campaign to protect other children from the potentially deadly flu. Nurses will vaccinate thousands of students in school.
"Their message is so important and we cannot take this lightly," said Mayor Sheila Dixon.
The campaign is effective immediately, starting this week in five public schools that educate students who have medical disabilities. Additional school clinics will be scheduled depending on how many parents request doses.
"Our overall plan is to tackle the city geographically and have teams in each sector of the city and based on the consent forms coming in, we will respond to those schools who are prepared," said Olivia Farrow, Baltimore City Health Department.
Getting consent is one challenge, but having enough supply is another. Baltimore has received less than half of the vaccines requested. With a national shortage, local governments are forced to decide who to treat first. Howard, Harford and Carroll saved doses to launch school campaigns, but Baltimore County opted to hold mass clinics first.
"Because we have a limited supply, we opted for a regional approach because it gets everyone in the priority group equal access to the limited supply we have," said Dr. Gregory Branch, Baltimore County Health Department.
The Parkers urge parents to find the vaccine wherever they can and warn hesitation may turn into tragedy.
"No child, daughter, sister, brother, grandmother, father, whatever needs to lose a child. A child should not be buried before its parents," said Deirdre Parker.
Last week, the city sent out 80,000 consent forms for the H1N1 vaccine. As of Wednesday, only 1,800 were returned.
The city just announced another community clinic. The H1N1 flu shot and FluMist will be available at Mount Pleasant Church and Ministries at 6000 Radecke Avenue Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until supply runs out.
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