Frederica Freyberg:
As scheduled, Wisconsin health care workers began receiving H1N1 vaccinations this week. Health officials say there are currently more than 200,000 doses of the vaccine in the state. Among the next in line to get the vaccinations are school children. We'll get to that in a moment, but first here are the latest flu numbers. H1N1 has now surfaced in 52 counties. Doctor visits for flu-like symptoms have increased in four of the state’s five regions, northern Wisconsin the exception. School closings this week include a middle school in Spring Green and all schools in the Medford district. This week a young child in Monroe County died of H1N1. It is not publicly known if there were any complicating health factors that contributed to that child's death. Next week students in Dane County will be offered vaccines. Dr. Thomas Schlenker will oversee the vaccinations in his post as the director of public health for Madison and Dane County. Thanks for being here.

Thomas Schlenker:
My pleasure.

Frederica Freyberg:
This is quite an undertaking. Why is the health department offering these H1N1 vaccinations in the schools?

Thomas Schlenker:
Well, because the target group is children and young people, and we just want to make sure that everyone who wants a vaccine in this target group has it available to them in an accessible way.

Frederica Freyberg:
So who can get it at school?

Thomas Schlenker:
The students. And we're going from kindergarten up to our grade 12. That's our health department effort. But then the colleges in town are also making their own individual efforts.

Frederica Freyberg:
And will this be in all schools in Dane County?

Thomas Schlenker:
Yeah. All 180 of them.

Frederica Freyberg:
Wow. And now you were to begin these on Monday in Middleton and Marshall, I understand, but it's been cancelled because there are no vaccines available. What is the status of your availability to get the vaccine?

Thomas Schlenker:
Well, we were a bit nervous, because we didn't really have a — any more than a minimal supply going through the middle of this week. And so we cancelled Monday. But we did get in quite a supply today. As I was leaving, I was informed that we did. So that we're confident we can start Tuesday and make it through the whole week.

Frederica Freyberg:
As a health officer, have you ever been involved in an effort of this size?

Thomas Schlenker:
No, not this big, not at all. This is quite an undertaking.

Frederica Freyberg:
How many vaccinations will this represent?

Thomas Schlenker:
It could be as many as 80,000. It depends on the interest and the demand for it. And of course it's totally voluntary, so it's up to the parents to decide. But it could be that many.

Frederica Freyberg:
How difficult has it been to coordinate between public health and the schools?

Thomas Schlenker:
Well, it's been a lot of work, but the schools have just been tremendously cooperative. I think we were lucky in that we formed some really good relationships in the spring, until the end of the school year and summer vacation, so we had a good start. But we've been working on this very well together. And I think it's going to work well.

Frederica Freyberg:
How many extra staff have you needed to accomplish this?

Thomas Schlenker:
Well, I have 165 staff who are all fully employed doing other things every day. But what we've done in the past month is just redirect practically the whole department in this effort. But even with that, we can't do it ourselves. We estimate we need up to 100 people a day to manage these clinics and do the work involved. So we're asking for help, and so far we've had very good response from local hospitals, clinics, the Red Cross and others.

Frederica Freyberg:
Should the children get the vaccines at school over their local doctor’s office?

Thomas Schlenker:       
No, not necessarily. It's perfectly fine, and we would be overjoyed if many of them got their shots at their regular doctor’s office, and hopefully many of them will. The problem is right now the vaccine is scarce, and it's just coming in bit by bit and most local doctors don't have it yet.

Frederica Freyberg:
Will children with underlying conditions potentially be able to get it sooner at their doctor's office or sooner at their school?

Thomas Schlenker:
Well, no. They should go to their doctor’s offices, because hopefully children who have an identified health problem, their doctor and their parents have been focusing on this for some time now and have got this all planned out and will get them in quickly.

Frederica Freyberg:
What do parents need to do to make sure their children can get this H1N1 shot or the mist at their school?

Thomas Schlenker:
It just involves returning the consent form that they will or have already received from their school, where they will provide some information on their child, and either state that they want the vaccine given or they don't want it. It's up to them. But we need a signed, written consent to vaccinate the child. All they have to do is return it.

Frederica Freyberg:
Now, you know how it is when you put something in a child's backpack. Is there another way to get this consent form?

Thomas Schlenker:
There is, and schools go through this every day so they're used to it and they have various means. They almost all have their own Web site. It is available on our Web site. You can download it. You can call us on the telephone. So if it gets lost or if the dog eats it, there are some alternatives.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Dr. Schlenker, thank you very much and good luck with this effort.

Thomas Schlenker:
Thank you.