Push to vaccinate school children

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and local school districts statewide are again offering the seasonal flu vaccine to school children in grades K-12 beginning in mid October. School clinics will be going on for the next several months.

Both the nasal mist form and the injectable form of the flu vaccine will be available to children at school clinics this year. The injectable form of vaccine will be given to children who are unable to take the mist form. Children who are unable to take the mist form include children less than two years of age; children who have asthma; and children who have an underlying health condition or other conditions that prevent them from having the nasal form.

Dr. Paul Halverson, ADH director and state health officer, said, “It has been shown that vaccinating our children is the best way to protect other age groups from the flu, especially the elderly population, which is more vulnerable to the most severe effects of the flu. We are extremely proud of our partnership with Arkansas’s schools and are excited about doing this service again.”

"Nothing is more important than the health of our families, especially our children,” said Commissioner of Education Tom Kimbrell. "Arkansas has aggressively prepared for the return of the flu season, and our schools will take part in this team approach to keep our students healthy. We encourage parents to work with health care providers in protecting their children from the flu virus.”

Seasonal flu vaccine is not required for children to attend school, but it is highly recommended. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatricians recommend everyone aged six months and older receive a seasonal flu vaccine every year. Seasonal flu causes children to miss school and their parents to miss work. If you have insurance, the ADH will ask your insurance company to pay for the cost of giving the vaccine. If you do not have insurance or your insurance company does not pay, the vaccine will be at no charge to you.
Children will be bringing home a consent form with the date that the vaccine will be given and a fact sheet about the seasonal flu vaccine. If parents want their children to receive the vaccine, they must sign and return the form. Children will not be able to receive the vaccine without signed parental permission.

Seasonal flu is a sickness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is caused by the influenza virus. Vaccines are effective protection and people cannot get the flu from the vaccine. “The flu vaccine is enough to get your body’s immune system ready to fight off the real flu when it comes around this winter. If you’re young and healthy, the flu vaccine may be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing illness,” said James Phillips, M.D., director of the Infectious Disease Branch at ADH.

Children eight years and younger who have never received seasonal flu vaccine before will need a second seasonal flu vaccine for full protection. Parents will need to contact a local ADH health unit or health care provider, see if vaccine is available and take their children in for a second dose four weeks after the first vaccine.

Though all persons older than six months of age should get the seasonal flu vaccine each year, those most at risk for influenza disease complications are:
· people 65 years of age and older;
· children ages six months to 23 months;
· adults and children two years of age and older with chronic lung or heart disorders;
· pregnant women;
· adults and children two years of age and older with chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes), kidney diseases, blood disorders (such as sickle cell anemia), or weakened immune systems, including persons with HIV/AIDS;
· residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
· children and teenagers, six months to 18 years of age who take aspirin daily;
· healthcare workers involved in direct, hands-on care to patients and household members and out-of-home caregivers of infants under the age of six months;
· caregivers and household contacts of persons in high-risk groups;
· children and adolescents aged six months through 18 years who are household contacts or out-of-home caregivers of persons in high-risk groups.

There are very few medical reasons to not get the flu vaccine. They include life threatening reactions such as anaphalaxis or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Persons with non life-threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated, but need to do so under direct medical supervision.

Influenza symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat,
muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. The influenza virus is spread through coughing or sneezing and by touching a hard surface with the virus on it and then touching the nose or mouth. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.