With Louisiana and Alaska dealing with a widespread influenza break out and Missouri and 17 other states locally dealing with the flu, it’s not too early for RBHS to be concerned about their students developing influenza.
Today RBHS offered to provide students with a free flu vaccination. Students had the choice to decide between getting the mist of the shot. RBHS was able to give out the mist in September but because of a lack of vaccine, students who had signed up to receive the flu shot had to wait to receive the vaccination until Dec.2, putting those students more at risk for getting the flu.
RBHS school nurse Tammy Adkins, who worked to help put the the free flu vaccination together, was planning on students receiving the vaccination  in early September.
“We had our flu clinics set and you could get the injectible or the mist, but supply wise,  right before the flu mist clinics, we were told that we would have to wait on the injectable,” Adkins said.
Instead of putting off both the mist and the injectable, students who had signed up to get the mist were still able to get the mist in September as planned, but anyone who had signed up to get the flu shot would have to wait, according to Adkins. Along with RBHS not having enough flu shots, the families of the students who had signed up to receive the flu shot  were not notified about the reasoning behind the postponement.
“When my family and I found out about the delay of the shot, we never got the reasoning and this and it was a little perplexing,” junior Jesseca Alexander said. “Along with that there was a mix up, and I was called down to receive the flu mist, and I was not scheduled to have the mist, only the shot, and the process that day was confusing for me.”
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season tends to intensify in December.
“It takes about two weeks for your immunity to really kick in and so waiting on the injectable put us a little further into flu season than we would like,” Adkins said. “We had to reschedule giving out the injections three times due to lack of supplies. Students can get the shot on Dec. 2.”
By Caylea Erickson
Feature photo by Caylea Erickson