Hundreds of students still need second vaccination

WASILLA — The battle against H1N1 influenza last fall took a toll not only on those who caught the bug, but on the Mat-Su Borough School District’s effort to fight another infectious disease.

Alaska state law now requires every student in the sixth grade or lower to have two doses of the vaccine against Varicella, commonly known as chicken pox. The original deadline to receive the second dose was before the end of 2009.

“We weren’t doing anything but H1N1 at that time,” said Jane Conard, nurse manager of the Mat-Su Public Health Clinic.

Many students received a second dose of the Varicella vaccine from a private practitioner, she said, but the state recognized the strain H1N1 put on the public health system. Because of this, the deadline for a second shot was extended until April 1, Conard said.

The school district has indicated to Conard there are still more than 300 students who need the second dose. In an effort to make up for lost time, Conard’s clinic held a mass dispensary Saturday for students of the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Varicella is a very communicable disease, Conard said. She said there are 2.5 million people in the United States with compromised immune systems at any one time. These people — who are undergoing organ transplants, chemotherapy or other such medical procedures — cannot be vaccinated because they will get the disease from the shot.

“So we try to keep immunity up to a point where people don’t transfer it that much. It’s called herd immunization,” Conard said. “We are trying to protect the people who can’t protect themselves.”

Additionally, she said, there are about 100 people who die of the disease every year. The new law enacted this year is to protect against these preventable tragedies.

“I sure wouldn’t want one of those to be my kids,” Conard said.

If students still need another shot, Conard said their parents can make an appointment with her clinic to get vaccinated. There are other clinics in the Valley that offer the shot, as well as most private practitioners.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.