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Local colleges vary in amount of swine-flu vaccines
by Bigad Shaban and Mike Hoss / Eyewitness News
Posted on November 18, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Updated yesterday at 11:13 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- To date, Louisiana has received over 464,100 of the Swine Flu vaccine, about 190,000 less doses than what it's requested from the federal government. One of the target populations that now get the vaccine includes college-aged students.
But not all schools are created equal when it comes to how much of the vaccine they're getting from the state.
It's a lonely walk for Jason Plotkin of Uptown New Orleans. He recently lost his best man and best friend: his brother.
"Swine Flu had begun to shut down his body and he passed away Wednesday November 11," said Plotkin.
Raymond Plotkin, 18, was a freshman at the University of New Mexico. His family said he came down with symptoms on a Saturday and then died four days later.
His brother, Jason, assistant sports information director at the University of New Orleans, says there was an inadequate supply of the vaccine on the New Mexico campus.
"They just weren't available at the time," said Jason Plotkin.
The federal government is responsible for sending out the doses to individual states, which then decides where they should go. Eyewitness
News checked in with area colleges and universities to see how their supplies stack up.
Xavier University, with a student population of about 3,000 has 1,000 doses.
LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge is home to about 24,000 students, but has so far received zero shipments of the vaccine; it's expecting its share next week.
Tulane has 12,600 students and 2,000 doses.
Loyola University has 4,900 students and 2,500 doses.
The University of New Orleans has nearly double the students at Loyola, at more than 11,000, but received the least amount of doses, just 500.
"It sounds kind of messed up to me," said Gabrielle Habert, a 22-year-old sophomore at UNO. "I mean, obviously, we have more students, we should have more doses."
According to the state, there are a number of factors that may explain the dramatic difference.
Rene Milligan, with Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, said UNO has a greater portion of older students who fall out of the target 17-24 population group for the vaccine. He says Loyola also made its request a two and a half weeks before UNO. MiIligan adds that UNO may not have ordered as many vaccines.
The head nurse at UNO, Van Muller, said that's not true.
"We ordered it back when all of the other universities ordered," he said.
"We ordered 8,000."
The difference in doses is troubling to UNO graduate student Laura Duval, who said she took advantage of the vaccine because several of her classmates fell ill to the virus.
"The fact that we didn't get as many vaccines, what are students going to do?" she asks.
Jason Plotkin said an adequate supply of vaccines will surely save lives, he says it would have for his brother.
"We just have to do what we can cause it's not just about you," he said.
"It's about people around you."
UNO said of the 500 doses it received earlier this month, it now has 100 bottles of the vaccine left. Milligan said the university is not in "panic mode" just yet because they're expecting another shipment of the vaccine early next year.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/wwl111809cbswineflu.html
by Bigad Shaban and Mike Hoss / Eyewitness News
Posted on November 18, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Updated yesterday at 11:13 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- To date, Louisiana has received over 464,100 of the Swine Flu vaccine, about 190,000 less doses than what it's requested from the federal government. One of the target populations that now get the vaccine includes college-aged students.
But not all schools are created equal when it comes to how much of the vaccine they're getting from the state.
It's a lonely walk for Jason Plotkin of Uptown New Orleans. He recently lost his best man and best friend: his brother.
"Swine Flu had begun to shut down his body and he passed away Wednesday November 11," said Plotkin.
Raymond Plotkin, 18, was a freshman at the University of New Mexico. His family said he came down with symptoms on a Saturday and then died four days later.
His brother, Jason, assistant sports information director at the University of New Orleans, says there was an inadequate supply of the vaccine on the New Mexico campus.
"They just weren't available at the time," said Jason Plotkin.
The federal government is responsible for sending out the doses to individual states, which then decides where they should go. Eyewitness
News checked in with area colleges and universities to see how their supplies stack up.
Xavier University, with a student population of about 3,000 has 1,000 doses.
LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge is home to about 24,000 students, but has so far received zero shipments of the vaccine; it's expecting its share next week.
Tulane has 12,600 students and 2,000 doses.
Loyola University has 4,900 students and 2,500 doses.
The University of New Orleans has nearly double the students at Loyola, at more than 11,000, but received the least amount of doses, just 500.
"It sounds kind of messed up to me," said Gabrielle Habert, a 22-year-old sophomore at UNO. "I mean, obviously, we have more students, we should have more doses."
According to the state, there are a number of factors that may explain the dramatic difference.
Rene Milligan, with Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, said UNO has a greater portion of older students who fall out of the target 17-24 population group for the vaccine. He says Loyola also made its request a two and a half weeks before UNO. MiIligan adds that UNO may not have ordered as many vaccines.
The head nurse at UNO, Van Muller, said that's not true.
"We ordered it back when all of the other universities ordered," he said.
"We ordered 8,000."
The difference in doses is troubling to UNO graduate student Laura Duval, who said she took advantage of the vaccine because several of her classmates fell ill to the virus.
"The fact that we didn't get as many vaccines, what are students going to do?" she asks.
Jason Plotkin said an adequate supply of vaccines will surely save lives, he says it would have for his brother.
"We just have to do what we can cause it's not just about you," he said.
"It's about people around you."
UNO said of the 500 doses it received earlier this month, it now has 100 bottles of the vaccine left. Milligan said the university is not in "panic mode" just yet because they're expecting another shipment of the vaccine early next year.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/wwl111809cbswineflu.html