CDC: States Should
Control Flu Vaccine

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - It will up to Georgia's Department of Community Health to decide how to distribute the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. Centers for Disease Control experts said Tuesday they were strongly encouraging states to take the vaccine to where kids are, which means schools.

"To get lots of children vaccinated quickly you need them to all be in one place," said Dr. Anthony Fiore.

The CDC's top H1N1 flu experts told a group of health care journalists that it will be up to states to determine how to distribute the flu vaccine but it makes sense to use schools.

"What schools are able to do is take one class at a time, escort them to the gym, or wherever they're doing it and then bring them back, so generally that has been an orderly process," said Dr. Pascale Wortley.

Each student will probably need two doses of H1N1 vaccine to be delivered three weeks apart. Over the next few months, schools will be sending letters home alerting parents about the clinics, which will be voluntary.

The federal government is buying the H1N1 vaccine, so parents will not be asked to pay for their child's flu shot at school. They will be asked to sign consent forms sent home with their children, and that's where things could get a little complicated.

Like homework, permission slips tend to get lost. "I'm a parent. I know how consent forms end up in the bottom of backpacks. That is a challenge," said Dr. Jay Butler.

The H1N1 Vaccine Task Force director, Dr. Butler said everyone who gets the vaccine will also get a vaccine record card to keep track of their shots.

The vaccine record cards will be very traditional old-fashioned cards which will show when the vaccine was administered, which vaccine was administered and a lot number. People are encouraged to keep the records in case they need any record of what they received in the past.