2009 School FluMist Vaccination Campaign
Knox County Health Department (KCHD) will offer FREE FluMist in select schools and daycares to eligible children ages 2 to 19 years of age living in Knox County, Tennessee. Our goal is to vaccinate at least 70% of the eligible children in Knox County.
KCHD has partnered with the Knox County School System, private schools, Head Starts, and daycares in Knox County to offer FREE FluMist Vaccinations in the school setting. You may access the schedule of school clinics provided through a link on this page. The vaccinations will be offered in two phases. Phase 2 is primarily for vaccine naïve children and will be held for Grades K – 5, Head Starts, and daycares.
Vaccine Naïve is defined as:
- Children aged 6 months up to 9 years who have not been vaccinated previously at any time with either live, attenuated influenza vaccine (FluMist) (doses separated by >4 weeks) or trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (doses separated by >4 weeks), with single annual doses in subsequent years, and
- Children aged 6 months up to 9 years who received only 1 dose in their first year of vaccination receive 2 doses the following year, with single annual doses in subsequent years.
The dates for the Two Phases are:
Phase 1: September 14th - October 2nd
Phase 2: December 1st - December 11th
Influenza usually enters a community through children, and children are known to be the major transmitter of flu to other persons, including those whom we consider to be high risk for complications of flu. In Japan, where they vaccinated all school-aged children against influenza for over a decade, there is medical proof that overall rates of influenza illness, and death from influenza, significantly declined for all age groups.
Because Knox County Health Department believes that vaccinating children can protect our entire community from influenza, we are excited to offer free in school vaccination for all children living in Knox County, TN. FluMist is the nasal spray formulation of flu vaccine, and there is increasing evidence that it is as or more effective than the shot, and just as safe. The health department has received endorsement and support for this project from physicians and medical groups throughout Knox County.
Consent forms for vaccination will go out through schools and are available through a link on this web page. For parents whose children attend schools hosting a vaccination clinic, we ask for the parent to review the information, complete and sign the consent form, and return the completed consent form to your child’s homeroom teacher. For parents whose children are home schooled, we ask for the parent to review the information, complete and sign the consent form, and return it to the school you are associated with who is hosting a clinic or come to one of the health department locations. If your child has a contraindication to FluMist or does not attend a hosting location, please bring your child to any of our health department locations for a free influenza vaccination.
Knox County Health Department believes this school-based influenza vaccine program is good for our community. However, it is a costly endeavor, both financially and in manpower. The vaccine alone costs almost one million dollars. For this reason, alternative funding sources and delivery methods will be needed in order for this project to continue. We continually seek partners for this project and would enjoy discussing how this project benefits you, your organization, and our community.
Additional information about influenza or this project is available at the following locations:
- Your pediatrician or family physician
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal
- Call the Knox County Health Department Information Line at 211
Click on links below:
- 2009 FluMist Vaccination Clinic Schedule
- LAIV VIS
How do you know if your child does not qualify for FluMist?
Your child will not qualify for FluMist® if they have the following medical conditions:
- If your child has long-term health problems with:
- Asthma
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Metabolic disease, such as diabetes
- Anemia, and other blood disorders
- A weakened immune system
- Long-term aspirin treatment (Takes an aspirin every day for a medical condition.)
- Is pregnant
- Has a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (a severe paralytic illness, also called GBS)
- Comes in close contact with anyone who has a severely weakened immune system (that is, anyone who requires care in a protected environment)
Some people should talk with a doctor before getting either influenza vaccine:
- Anyone who has ever had a serious allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous dose of influenza vaccine.
- People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting flu vaccine. If you are ill, talk to your doctor or nurse about whether to reschedule the vaccination. People with a mild illness can usually get the vaccine.
If your child doesn’t qualify for FluMist®, here are some options to receive an influenza vaccination.
- Consult your pediatrician / family physician.
- Go to one of the following Knox County Health Department locations to obtain a FREE influenza vaccination in the form of a “flu shot” if your child is eligible.
- Consult a grocery store or pharmacy that has provided flu shots in the past.
