While Georgia children are focused on summer vacation right now, officials with the Georgia Department of Public Health are already looking ahead to protect these kids from the flu next fall. Organizers of the School Based-Flu (SBF) program highly anticipate this, the third year for the program, to be the most successful yet.

"This program is intended to make flu vaccine available at schools across Georgia," said J. Patrick O'Neal, M.D., director of health protection at DPH.  "We expect this to be especially valuable to those children whose parents are unable to take their children to receive flu immunizations at a medical home."

Various work groups are in the midst of developing the numerous components of the program needed for a successful campaign. This includes developing plans to communicate with parents, their children, area physicians and school officials; plans for administration of the program; training guides and financial components.

Not everyone may realize what a difference this program can make. It is a major step in protecting students up to age 18.

"Influenza causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease," said Steven Mitchell, immunizations director for DPH. "The single best way to protect against seasonal flu and its potential severe complications is for children to get a seasonal influenza vaccine each year."

Working with education partners to collect information on the impact of school based flu programs, health officials have found that the benefits go beyond those to a young student's health.

"Based on our evaluation of the School Based Flu Project, we have discovered that there is a direct correlation between vaccination rates and graduation rates," said Mitchell. "Children who are vaccinated are less likely to be absent from school as a result of contracting an illness.  The graduation rate for children who are vaccinated is higher than those who are not.  We must continue to be advocates for public health preventive medicine."

There are many stakeholders involved in planning for a successful campaign and they each need to be ready before the children can be vaccinated.  

"Influenza continues to be a highly infectious disease that is responsible for significant school absenteeism each flu season," said O'Neal. "Flu immunizations can prevent flu and thereby reduce school absenteeism. Our goal is to make the SBF program the most successful to date during this next flu season--and very possibly to make this program a national model."

-Story by Eric Jens, DPH Communications