The youngest school children in Talladega County got access to free H1N1 vaccines this week, yet not many are taking advantage of it.

The Alabama Department of Public Health began giving nasal mist vaccines for swine flu to students under 10 years old on Monday. Elementary schools in Talladega, Sylacauga, Pell City and Talladega County are scheduled to receive visits from ADPH.

However, despite the availability of the vaccine, most students have not turned in the necessary permission slips to get it. Robin Merkel, clinical nurse supervisor for Talladega County’s branch of ADPH, estimated that there has only been a five to 10 percent average response rate in the schools visited so far.

“The response hasn’t been great,” said Joan Ludwig, lead school nurse for Talladega City Schools.

For instance, 26 students out of the 136 eligible students at Northside Hal Henderson Elementary received the vaccine during its vaccine administrations on Wednesday.

Talladega and St. Clair Counties each received 1,500 doses of the vaccine just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Merkel said she expects there will be plenty left over after all of the school visits.

This has been a common response among schools that have offered the vaccine.

“It’s not been overwhelming. It’s pretty much been on the low side,” said Suzette Harrison, clinic supervisor for the St. Clair County Heath Department.

Merkel said she suspects these low turnouts are due to widespread misconceptions about the vaccine and side effects. She said some of this misinformation specifically targets the mist vaccines, as these contain live strains of the virus.

Ludwig said ADPH sent additional information to schools about myths and facts about H1N1 to counter any misconceptions.

Merkel added that some students can’t receive the mist due to contradicting conditions, such as allergies to eggs, asthma, or bad reactions to previous influenza vaccines.

Students are not allowed to receive the vaccine without parental consent. ADPH sent packets to the schools before Thanksgiving that contains the necessary information about the mists and permission slips for the students.

Students must present the signed permission slips to be eligible for the mist.

These vaccines for the schools are solely in the form of nasal mists. They are only for students less than 10 years old. This age range places most of the students eligible for the spray in pre-kindergarten through third grade.

Merkel said ADPH wanted to start the schools’ distributions with the younger students.

ADPH is working on putting the injected form of the vaccine into the schools for administration to the students in grades four through 12. Merkel said she expects shipments of the injections to be available sometime in January.

So far this week, ADPH has offered the nasal sprays at Indian Valley Elementary, Pinecrest Elementary, Stemley Road Elementary and Northside Hal Henderson Elementary.

Iola Roberts Elementary in Pell City received the sprays Tuesday.

Many more schools are scheduled to receive visits today. The Talladega Health Department is continuing distribution today with B.B. Comer Memorial Elementary and Sycamore Elementary.

Pell City’s other elementary schools, Coosa Valley Elementary, Eden Elementary, Walter H. Kennedy Elementary and Victory Christian School are all receiving the vaccines today.

Schools that have not yet had vaccine distributions are scheduled to do so.

APDH is scheduled to be at Munford Elementary and Fayetteville Elementary on Dec. 4. Vaccines will be at Graham Elementary, Young Elementary and C. L. Salter Elementary on Dec. 10. Lincoln Elementary and A. H. Watwood Elementary will receive them on Dec. 14. Finally, Childersburg Elementary and Houston Elementary will do so on Dec. 15.