MUSCATINE, Iowa – At 7 a.m. Saturday, parents and children were already in line at the doors of Unity Public Health.

The offer to give children ages    2 to 5 free H1N1 nasal spray vaccines from 9 a.m. to noon attracted families from around the area, with  more than half of the 500 vaccines on hand used in just an hour.

Jeff Kroll, 35, of Durant, brought his 2 1/2-year-old son, Alex, to get the vaccine. Kroll works in Muscatine.

A runny-nosed Alex was bright-eyed in the back seat as Kroll strapped him in the car.

“He fussed a little at the beginning,” Kroll said. “It was quite a line when I got here, but it moved quickly. I was only in line about 20 or 30 minutes.”

Patsy Willits, office manager and Lifeline program manager, stood at the door handing out clipboards and forms. Forms were available in Spanish and English.

Children with underlying health conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, were not allowed the nasal spray vaccination. Older children and adults were turned away and asked to call back.

“Our intent is that we will do this again,” Willits said. “We only have 500 doses, and once that’s out we’re done until the next shipment.”

Willits said the next shipment of vaccines is due this week.   She                       

VACCINE JUMP

recommends people call for more information about other public clinics.

“We don’t want to put people on schedules if we don’t know what [vaccines] we’re getting,” Willits said of upcoming shipments.

Children ages 9 and younger need two vaccines, roughly 30  days apart.

The exam rooms were fairly quiet as children ushered in and ushered out without much fuss.

Kelly Jones, registered nurse in communicable diseas, said many children calmed down after the first nostril was sprayed.

“Once they do one side, they realize it’s not so bad,” Jones said.

The Saturday vaccination clinic was the first one for the 2-5 age group, Jones said.

“It’s been busy, busy, busy,” she said. “We’ve done a good job of getting them around.”

Parking attendants directed traffic up the hill at Unity’s clinic, while other personnel held doors and gave directions leading patients through and out when they were finished.

To prepare for the vaccination clinic and get the word out to parents, information was sent home with pre-schoolers in their backpacks, Willits said. News reports have also helped alert the public of vaccination updates.

Though the number of H1N1 cases in Muscatine is unknown, Jane Caes, vice president of community health, said H1N1 is still a threat and a dangerous illness.

Healthy practices are still encouraged in the home, even after children are vaccinated. Washing hands, covering coughs and “just staying home,” are advised for those with H1N1 symptoms.

“If anyone has any questions, we encourage them to call,” Caes said. “We want as many children immunized as possible. We want healthy kids.”

BREAKOUT:

Unity Public Health will have a clinic from 3:30 - 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Muscatine Community School District Board Office at 2900 Mulberry Ave., for healthy children ages 2-5. There are 300 doses of the nasal spray vaccine available.

For information call Unity Public Health at 563-263-0122.