As the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, continues to dominate the headlines, the government is implementing a plan to combat the spread of the virus by vaccinating school children. But many remain skeptical. The vaccination campaign targets 2.1 million primary school students in six governorates including Cairo and Alexandria, according to Abdel Rahman Shaheen, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health. The ten-day campaign is set to end Wednesday, by which time each school should have received a visit from a health officer carrying the vaccine. Students may be vaccinated only upon presenting an acceptance letter signed by their parents. “The health directorate informed us that our school's students will be vaccinated on 3 January,” said the headmaster of a primary school in Maadi, who preferred to remain unnamed. “The medical team visited the school, but there was almost no participation. Just two children received the vaccine.” The two children were sisters Nourhan and Randa Hemdan. “Dad told us to get the vaccine so as not to get infected with swine flu,” the sisters said, explaining their unusual decision. On the first day of the campaign, “participation wasn't that high,” said Shaheen. “But due to our broad experience with vaccination campaigns before--like measles and polio--we can say it is normal for participation to be low on the first days.” Shaheen also attributed the low rate of participation to sporadic school attendance this time of year, with mid-term exams around the corner. "However, we expect participation to increase by the end of the campaign,” Shaheen said. The Ministry of Health decided to begin vaccinations with primary school students due to their high rates of infection. "Thirty percent of recorded infections were among six to 12 year olds," said Shaheen. The six governorates were chosen because they suffered the highest rate of infection. But not everyone is convinced that vaccination against H1N1 is the way to go. Donia Gomaa, mother of two, refuses to have her children vaccinated. “People say it's dangerous," she said. "And why do parents have to agree to this swine flu vaccination, when my son was vaccinated many times before at school and no one ever asked us for acceptance or not?” According to the Health Ministry, every student should receive from their school a letter for their parents to sign their approval for their child to be vaccinated--or not. Gomaa did not give her approval because her son had never received letters for previous vaccinations. A health office chief, who requested anonymity, described to Al-Masry Al-Youm how “a medical team was sent in the morning to a primary school, and at 10 AM they returned saying that all of the school's acceptance letters were negative.” Spokespeople for the Ministry of Education were not available for comment as the ministry was preparing to take on a new head after a minor cabinet reshuffle last week. Ministry of Heath officials, however, say that the acceptance letter is standard operating procedure. Shaheen attributes the state of panic regarding vaccines to rumors suggesting that the vaccine may have dangerous side effects. “But this isn't true--it has the same side effects as the seasonal flu vaccine, since both vaccines were prepared using the same mechanism,” said Shaheen. “The vaccine is safe, and certified by many international authorities. On the top of the list is the WHO, which hasn't warned against using it so far. 120 million people have been vaccinated throughout the world,” he added. Alaa Shukrallah, head of the Association for Health and Environmental Development, agrees with Shaheen. “I see this scare about the vaccine's dangerous side effects as totally without reason.” For Shukrallah, it is safer for children to be vaccinated: “Any new vaccine has a low incidence of side effects, which is normal, but--according to the WHO reports I have read--I can say it's helpful if children get the vaccine,” he said. “There should be some system to manage the crisis,” added Shukrallah. “Both public and private hospitals should be alerted to receive emergency cases; more attention should be paid to children and those with heart diseases; people should be informed about available hospitals; and they should be made aware that medication for H1N1 should only be taken when a patient has been diagnosed with the virus.” But there are even simpler solutions. “No specific food has been proven to overcome swine flu, but, in general, proper nutrition is very important as it boosts the immune system,” said Shukrallah.
