By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 18, Health Services Director Jotham Arber outlined the county’s plans for vaccinating the public. He said gatherings such as the fair and the start of the school year can lead to outbreaks of disease.
“On Friday, I’m going to release a video on measles, on Facebook,” he said. “What measles is, what protections they have, what that looks like.”
Arber was asked what schools require regarding vaccinations.
“Schools require the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). They require varicella, polio and meningitis. Or you can have a medical exemption if you’re allergic to them,” Arber said. “And then you can have a religious exemption, too. We honor all of those.”
Arber noted that the vast majority of citizens in the area are vaccinated.
“In Guthrie County, across the board, we’re sitting at 93% on completion of vaccination series. So, in our schools, we have fairly decent coverage. And, in the general population, we have pretty good coverage as well.”
Arber also described the efforts of the Health Services department to create a succession plan to be used if/when personnel depart for any reason.
Arber added that he plans to hire a mental health therapist in the near future, which will aid in providing needed services for the area.
The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#