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source: columbuspacket
Nine Lowndes County School District students were rushed to the hospital today after apparently having reactions to the H1N1 vaccine.
H1N1 shots are being made available at schools around the state by the Mississippi Department of Health. Nine students at Caledonia High School were transported to the emergency room after apparently having a reaction to the shot, said Lowndes County Superintendent Mike Halford.
"We had seven students transported by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle," Halford said. "Two more students were brought in by parents or family members."
Of the nine, eight had been treated and released by 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, he said.
"The H1N1 vaccine was being administered [Wednesday] at New Hope High School, New Hope Middle School and all levels at Caledonia," Halford said. "We had given the shots to the high school students, and about fifteen minutes after the shots were given we started having the issues."
Halford said that students complained of symptoms including shortness of breath, itching and hives.
"We stopped giving the shots at that time," he said.
According to Mississippi Department of Health District 6 Health Officer Rebecca James, two of the students who developed shortness of breath and hives did so because of a reaction to the shot. The others were "sympathetic reactions," she said.
"There was no evidence of an allergic reaction in those six," she said. "A sympathetic reaction is also called a 'line of sight' reaction. It's similar to what happens when one person in a cafeteria throws up, and then suddenly people around them start feeling sick as well.
"Hives can be a sign of a reaction to the shot, but they can also be caused by stress," she added. "Some of the hives could have been caused simply because the students were nervous about getting a shot. We may never know what caused those students to have those reactions."
Counting the two reactions at Caledonia High School today, James said that there have been a total of three allergic reactions to the vaccine around the state.
"That is a very mild reaction rate," she said. "I still feel very comfortable recommending that children be vaccinated against influenza, which can be deadly. I'd rather treat hives and itching that have to treat the flu."
The vaccine that was given at Caledonia was the exact same vaccine that was given at other schools in Lowndes County, she said, and there had been no other reports of problems.
There have been 16 influenza-related deaths in Mississippi so far, she said.
James said that the LCSD will continue with the H1N1 vaccinations.
"Mike Halford has been very good about handling this," she said. "He intends to offer the vaccinations at the middle and elementary schools to students who want them."
A new permission form will be sent home to students before the vaccinations commence again, she said.
Vaccinations at New Hope Elementary School and West Lowndes are scheduled for a later date.
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