Hundreds of Berwyn students put their bravest faces forward for what was coming Nov. 17.
It was not a test and there was no studying — just one shot, or spray, coming at them.
Both North Berwyn School District 98 and South Berwyn School District 100 became two of the first school districts in suburban Cook County to receive free vaccinations for the H1N1 swine flu virus Nov. 17.
Nearly 40 percent of the 3,700 students in District 100 were vaccinated, according to Jane Bagus, district director of special student services.
The vaccines, which were available in both nasal and needle form, were available to students who had a signed permission form from a parent or guardian.
“If they had asthma or an underlying condition, they got a shot,” Bagus said. “If they didn’t have any problems, they got the nasal vaccine.”
Bagus said students under the age of 9 will need a second booster vaccine in a few weeks, which will not be supplied by the county.
“We just hope our families can find the second dose at a clinic or pediatrician,” Bagus said.
District 98 has had one student with a confirmed case of the swine flu so far this school year. More than 45 percent of the district’s 3,200 students from receiving the vaccine last week, according to district nurse Lisa Levinsky.
The 1,444 students received either the nasal vaccine or shot. Bagus and Levinsky said the vaccinations will not be offered by the districts again this year, leaving the one date as a successful round of vaccinations without any crying or panicking over the thought of a spray in the nose or needle in the arm.
“Our children were very brave,” Bagus said.
