The Norwin School District will assist the Westmoreland County Department of Health in battling the H1N1 virus.

The district will host a clinic at the Norwin Middle School auxiliary gym for application of the live attenuated nasal spray vaccine. The health department will set the time and date.

Administration of the vaccine will be free and available to anyone living within 10 miles of Norwin Middle School.

"We met last week with county health and emergency management officials," said Norwin Superintendent Jack Boylan. "They're treating this as a pandemic."

The district has received 2,500 doses of the vaccine.

"There is no cost for this vaccine," said Dr. Boylan in a letter sent to Norwin parents Tuesday. The letter was accompanied by a consent form and an informational fact sheet.

"The only obligation is to complete and return a signed consent form for each person in your family who is to be vaccinated."

The consent form must be signed by all vaccine recipients.

If parents have questions about the vaccine, they may contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using information on the fact sheet, or consult the family physician.

Dr. Boylan said administration of the vaccine will not be scheduled until the district has received a sufficient number of consent forms to justify bringing in a team from the county health department.

Copies of the consent form may be obtained at any Norwin school office or from the district Web site -- www.norwinsd.org.

Completed consent forms may be dropped off at a student's school or be mailed to: Norwin School District, 281 McMahon Drive, North Huntingdon 15642. Attention: Barbara Gregor.

For more information, call the superintendent's office, 724-861-3039, or go to the district Web site, www.norwinsd.org.

Few cases of the virus have been reported in Norwin schools.

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