PLEASE NOTE...... All school-age students in Chemung County have been offered the opportunity to receive the H1N1 influenza vaccine.  The Health Department has scheduled clinics for those students under the age of 10 that need to receive a second dose of vaccine in order to provide the immunity that older students get from just one dose.  Affected students will receive notification from their school as to what needs to be done to get the 2nd dose.  A new consent form needs to be filled out and returned to the school in order to receive the needed 2nd dose.

Meanwhile, we have provided a lot of useful information below to answer some of the questions and anxieties you may be having about H1N1.

Both of the above guides contain a lot of helpful information and are available for your use.  To download the guides, click on the titles below:

2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu:  What To Do If You Get Sick

Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Flu:  A Guide For Parents

Here are two more guides from the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that will address some more specific questions you may have about the nasal spray form of the H1N1 vaccine and issues related to flu shots and pregnant patients:

>Questions & Answers: 2009 H1N1 Nasal Spray Vaccine

>2009 H1N1 Influenza Shots & Pregnant Women:  Questions and Answers for Patients

GET YOUR CHILD VACCINATED....

NOTE:  Children 9 years of age and younger will need a total of 2 shots.  About 3 to 4 weeks after your young child receives the first shot, a 2nd shot will be scheduled.  It is critical that children 9 and under receive both shots for effective protection from the flu.

Sometimes the forms provided to your child in school do not always make their way home to you.  Schools do not have any "extra" forms, so please do not contact them if your child didn't provide you with the forms.  In case you do not receive the forms that were provided to your child, the forms are available to download below:

Letter To Parents

Vaccine Information Sheet(injection)

Vaccine Information Sheet (nasal spray)

Parental Consent Form

  You will receive further notification and instructions from the school when the clinics are scheduled for your child.  Again, keep in mind that your child will NOT receive the H1N1 vaccine unless you complete, sign, and return the parental consent form to your child's school. Please do it as soon as possible!