DeKALB | It took just five hours for the 400 doses of the live attenuated H1N1 vaccine to be disbursed to NIU students at Health Services Thursday.

Another 200 doses were acquired, with roughly 100 doses remaining by the end of the day.

Students were informed Wednesday through their university-issued e-mail that beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, Health Services would have the nasal spray vaccine of H1NI available to those students who were eligible to use Health Services; students who are enrolled in at least one on-campus credit, paying tuition and fees were eligible.

Health Services received only the live nasal spray vaccine.

“There’s two different types of vaccine. Live virus and the inactivated, kind of a killed virus,” said Bev Espe, assistant director of Health Services. “We have the live virus and it goes up into the nose, into each nasal cavity. Because it’s a live virus, there are restrictions as to who can receive it. So we are trying to screen very well for that because it can be detrimental to someone.”

Many of the students turned away had asthma, Espe said. Pregnant women, anyone with a weakened immune system or those in close contact of a person with a weakened immune system and those with long-term health problems, including heart and lung disease should not get the live virus.

Kelsey Taglia, junior special education major, said she would rather get the live virus in the nasal spray form, than having to get a shot and was taking precaution.

“Just in case,” Taglia said. “I know we had a DeKalb County death because of it, so just to be safe, especially during clinicals in elementary school coming up in the following semester, just as a precaution.”

Espe knows that not everyone will want to get the vaccine and that it is up to the student to decide.

“As with seasonal vaccine too, it is a personal choice. Public health is strongly recommending that everyone get the seasonal vaccine this year, even if you don’t end up getting the H1N1 vaccine,” Espe said. “They’re feeling that by keeping your immune system healthy by getting the seasonal, it may give you some protections from the H1N1 too because your immunity is boosted.”

Students are making their choices based on various factors including travel.

“I want to get it because in December I am traveling to Jamaica, so I figured since I am going to be on a closed plane and traveling to a region of the world where they have had a lot of problems with it there; I thought it was a good idea to get vaccinated,” said Steven Remsen, graduate student of physics.

Like Taglia, Jonathan Gargul, freshman athletic training major, will be around other students in an education setting.

“Well, being in a type of health major, you kind of realize that you are working with a lot of people that are going to get sick,” Gargul said. “I have been working at my old high school to get my clinical hours, and people have been sick there already. People have had H1N1 and are already in quarantine and I don’t want to risk it.”

But some students are just being good sons and daughters, including junior accountancy major Mike Hankla.

“Pretty much getting it [because] I don’t want to get sick and have to deal with all that, and my mom has been bugging me for about three weeks now,” Hankla said. “Pretty much being a good kid.”

Espe is hoping that more vaccines will arrive, but is thankful for the supply that did come in.

“It’s [injectable vaccine] on order and right now nationally, public health departments and hospitals are being targeted to get the vaccine out to them first,” she said. “We were taken completely by surprise that we got this. We were not expecting it at all. We put in our supply for a little bit of everything so that we could have it for all who might be interested.”

As stated on the Health Services Web site, on Sunday, the DeKalb County Health Department will be giving the injectable H1N1 flu vaccine to high-priority target groups.

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