Swine Flu Sarasota:

The attached audio excerpt was taken from the Friday Oct 30 Sarasota County Health Department's weekly Swine Flu update. The Sarasota County Health Department (SCHD) is working with school district officials to begin offering H1N1 flu vaccinations to elementary-age students at public schools in the county. The vaccine is voluntary and is not a required vaccine for school attendance. A parent/legal guardian must accompany their elementary-school-age child/children who will be receiving the vaccine at after-school and Saturday clinics. Health officials say that the H1N1 vaccination clinics listed below are open to those who attend public and private schools as well as home-schooled students. Parents/legal guardians of elementary school students should bring the consent form with them when they accompany their child/children to these vaccination sites. Health officials emphasize that these scheduled clinics are for elementary and Pre-K school children only. Vaccinations will be scheduled at middle schools and high schools in the near future. Vaccination sessions will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 and 13 For elementary and Pre-K students at the following locations: Emma E. Booker Elementary School 2350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Way, Sarasota Tuttle Elementary School 2863 8th Street, Sarasota Ashton Elementary School 5110 Ashton Road, Sarasota Garden Elementary School 700 Center Road, Venice Laurel Nokomis School 1900 East Laurel Road, Nokomis Cranberry Elementary School 2775 Shalimar Terrace, North Port Saturday vaccinations will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 14 for elementary and Pre-K students at the following locations: Cranberry Elementary School 2775 Shalimar Terrace, North Port Laurel Nokomis School 1900 East Laurel Road, Nokomis Children’s Health Center Glasser Schoenbaum Human Services Center 1750 17th St., Bldg. E, Sarasota Sarasota County Health and Human Services 2200 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota Children age 9 and under will need two doses, given at least three weeks apart, to get the best protection. Parents will be advised about locations in the community for the second vaccine. The Sarasota County Health Department and community partners will offer drive-through and walk-in vaccine clinics to everyone once ample supplies of vaccine have arrived in the county. This is likely to be sometime after Thanksgiving. The school vaccine clinic information will be posted on the following Web sites: Sarasota County Health Department www.sarasotahealth.org Sarasota County School District http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/ Parents with questions can call 941-927-9000, ext. 32101 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Information on H1N1 vaccine availability for the general population will be available on www.sarasotahealth.org. Those who do not have access to a computer can visit the health kiosks at local libraries across the county. Residents can also call the Flu Information Line at 941-861-2800, or the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 later in November. The Sarasota County Call Center has a TDD line, 941-861-1833, available for those who are hearing impaired. People can also call the Florida Flu Information Line for general questions about H1N1. That toll-free number is 877-352-3581.

This audio clip features some of the highlights of the Oct. 22 Sarasota County Health Department's weekly Swine Flu update. Heard speaking in this audio clip are Chuck Henry (Incident commander for the Sarasota County’s H1N1/Swine Flu response) and Sarasota County epidemiologist Scott Pritchard.

On behalf of WSLR, the radio station's board members have submitted this audio editorial voicing opposition to the prospect of any mandatory H1N1 vaccinations taking place in Sarasota County and beyond.

In a follow up interview conducted Monday, October 12, Dr. Mark Geier, a recent guest on WSLR's Local Matters, pulls no punches in sharing his thoughts on the presence of mercury in a large percentage of the H1N1 vaccines that have started arriving in Florida and most other states. Dr. Geier comments on the dangers of mercury contained in the vaccine preservative Thimerosol and his belief that Thimerosol is directly linked to an increase in autism. Dr. Geier also speaks frankly on what he believes to be the motives he feels are behind the push for world-wide vaccination despite what he feels is a lack of testing to prove the vaccine is safe. He also comments on the financial motives behind the push to vaccinate. You may or may not agree with Dr. Geier's theories, but this hour-long interview conducted by Local Matters host Joe Hendricks is definitely worth a listen if you have any concerns about the safety of the Swine Flu vaccine.

On Friday, October 9, the Sarasota County Health Department held its weekly Swine Flu update, announcing the arrival of the first doses of the H1N1 vaccine in Sarasota County. These initial vaccine doses are of the Thimerosol-free nasal mist variety and recommended for healthy adults ages 2 to 49. The nasal mist is not recommended for pregnant women, persons outside this age range or persons with existing medical conditions. The nasal mist does not contain the mercury-based preservative Thimerosol that some researchers feel poses a potential health risk to those who receive the vaccine. Those with concerns about the potential side effects of Thimerosol can request the nasal vaccine or when it arrives, the Thimerosol-free injectable vaccine, both of which will be available in limited supplies, with supplies ultimately determined by state and federal agencies. Taken from the county conference call, this audio excerpt features Chuck Henry, Incident Commander for H1N1 response in Sarasota County, explaining how the vaccine arrives in Sarasota county and how it will be distributed to health clinics, private health care providers and local schools. The vaccination process will soon get underway at local elementary schools, where students receiving the vaccine will be required to have a parent to present. Parents of middle school and high school students will be allowed to sign a release form in lieu of being present when the vaccine is administered. At this point in time, the vaccination process will be voluntary and as of now there are no plans to make the vaccinations mandatory. During the Oct. 9 conference call, Mr. Henry was also asked about “Viral Shedding,” a term applied to spreading the airborne virus while administering the nasal mist vaccine. Mr. Henry indicated that the health department did not have any significant concerns regarding to this matter. When asked about a federal lawsuit expected to be filed in Washington DC today by Health Freedom attorney Jim Turner in an attempt to halt the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine, Mr. Henry expressed support for the vaccination system as a way of preventing the spread of disease and said he hopes the distribution process continues uninterrupted. In a related story, the Natural News website is reporting that in some cases the H1N1 vaccines are being shipped adjuvant-free with some clinics and pharmacies then adding adjuvants such as squaline to boost the effectiveness of the vaccine. According Sarasota County Health Department spokesperson Dianne Shipley, there are no plans to add adjuvants to the vaccine here in Sarasota County in order to boost the vaccine's efficiency.

On Wednesday, October 7, Local Matters host Joe Hendricks recorded an off-air interview Sarasota Memorial Hospital infectious disease expert Dr. Manuel Gordillo and Chief Operating Officer Michael Harrington. During the course of the interview that aired October 8 on "Local Matters," Dr. Gordillo and Mr. Harrington expressed their beliefs that the H1N1 vaccine poses no danger to those who receive the vaccination -- including women who are pregnant. Dr. Gordillo and Mr. Harrington also explained their views on the importance of hospital staff being vaccinated and also discussed the risks of not getting vaccinated. Similar views have been expressed by other members of the health community, including representatives of the Sarasota County Health Department (See the document below prepared by Sarasota County Health Department officials for WSLR). Sarasota Memorial Hospital has also engaged in a clean hands campaign. For more information, please visit www.cleanhandscampaign.org The October 8 Local Matters broadcast also featured a live interview with vaccine safety/autism researcher Dr. Mark Geier. Dr. Geier expressed his opinion that vaccines containing the preservative Thimerosol (which contains mercury) pose potential health risks -- approximately 60 percent of the H1N1 vaccinations will contain Thimerosol. Due to technical difficulties, Dr. Geier's interview was not recorded for podcasting purposes. WSLR has requested a follow-up interview with Dr. Geier in hopes of providing a podcast report that presents both sides of the H1N1 vaccine debate. Please check back for this interview at a later date... For more information on Dr. Geier and his theories on the relationship between mercury and autism, please visit www.mercury-freedrugs.org or www.asdcenters.com

WSLR's Jason Boehk recently interviewed retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Carmen Reynolds, who shared her views on the H1N1 virus, her concerns about the safety of the vaccination process and her thoughts on some of the many elements in play when it comes to the swine flu virus. In August, Reynolds, who has health issues herself, named Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Florida Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros as defendants in a lawsuit that challenges a section in the Florida Public Health statutes pertaining to vaccination policies.

This is a recording of the Weekly Update by the Sarasota County Health Department. On the call are County Health Representatives Dianne Shipley, Chuck Henry and epidemiologis Scott Pritchard and various media representatives. They discuss the latest data, when vaccines are due to arrive and how they will be distributed. Sarasota County will be receiving 2100 doses of the nasal spray in 7-10 days. Injectible vaccines will come later.

A registered nurse at Sarasota Memorial Hospital recently shared his thoughts on hospital's employee policies regarding staff vaccinations and other other hospital polices pertaining to the H1N1 virus. This interview originally aired on The Jumping Mullet Report in late September. NOTE: Representatives from Sarasota Memorial Hospital dispute some of the claims and comments made during this interview and responded in an interview that was aired Thursday, October 8 during the "Local Matters" boradcast.