- NBC2.com -
They thought they were getting protected against the swine flu, but dozens of Collier County students were mistakenly given the seasonal flu vaccine instead.
Now, the health department is forced to explain what caused the error.
Though the sign outside the Community School of Naples says you can get your swine flu shots there, 77 students tried unsuccessfully.
“I was like wow, how did they mess that up,” said Zannos Grekos, a fifth grader at the school.
The boxes of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine don’t look much different.
The Collier County Health Department says a nurse packed the wrong one for the school clinic, as previously reported by the Naples Daily News.
On top of that, none of the nurses giving the vaccines even realized something else was in their hands.
“It is concerning to us, because these are seasoned nurses,” said Deb Millsap, with the health department.
The consent form for parents makes at least 10 specific references to the H1N1 vaccine, but it makes no mention of seasonal flu.
“No excuse. It was a mistake,” said Millsap.
A total of six nurses and two supervisors received written reprimands for the error. Fortunately, the health department says the shots pose no risks to students.
“We’ve already, starting last night, put into effect training measures that it should never happen again,” said Millsap.
It means students will have to try again on Friday.
“I’m OK with getting another shot,” Grekos said.
But he said he hopes this one turns out better than the first.
No comments:
Post a Comment