Wellesley school staff given insulin in flu-vaccine error
Some became ill; no students at risk
Several staff members at Schofield Elementary School in Wellesley who were expecting to receive H1N1 vaccine shots Friday were mistakenly injected with insulin meant for students with diabetes, school officials said yesterday.
In a letter to parents, faculty, and staff, school administrators said some of the staffers became ill and had to be hospitalized after receiving the blood sugar-glucose hormone, but all recovered.
No students were at risk, as Friday’s vaccine clinic was only for faculty and staff, said Bella Wong, Wellesley superintendent of schools.
“I think that there is no apology for the fact that a serious error was made, so we are acting on it to ensure we understand why it happened and that it wouldn’t happen again,’’ Wong said in a phone interview last night.
“I am quite relieved that any staff that have been impacted by this have recovered and that no students were at risk in this case, but it was a serious mistake.’’
Wong said she was unsure how many faculty and staff received the shots.
The families of the students whose insulin was used were informed.
Early television news reports indicated that the Wellesley Health Department wrongly provided the school with the insulin, but officials denied this, saying the health department does not dispense insulin. Wong, in a second letter to parents, faculty, and staff, confirmed that the insulin belonged to students and was provided by parents.
Members of the Wellesley School Committee and Schofield School PTO co-president Val Buller declined to comment on the mixup.
Wong said the school nurse, named as Susan Marston on the school’s website, administered the shots. She was placed on paid administrative leave.
Millions of H1N1 vaccines have been distributed across the state as residents of all ages had jockeyed late last year for an immunization to the flu strain that has killed nearly 13,000 people across the globe.
Insulin causes blood glucose levels to drop. In severe cases, hypoglycemia can cause fainting, seizures, or even death.
John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com. 
