School clinics to offer nasal mist flu vaccine

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - School children under 10 years old across Alabama will be offered the nasal mist swine flu vaccine beginning next week.

State Health Officer Don Williamson and state schools Superintendent Joe Morton said Wednesday the nasal mist vaccine would be administered at school-based clinics to children in kindergarten to third grade.

Williamson said the clinics would be in some schools next week and would be in the majority of schools the week of Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.

Morton said parents must sign permission forms if they want their children to be vaccinated.

So far 32 deaths in Alabama have been attributed to the swine flu, also called the H1N1 virus.