Developing a sustainable best practice model for school-based seasonal influenza vaccinations

Background:

Rates of influenza infection are highest among children resulting in frequent outpatient and emergency department visits, school absenteeism, and loss of parental work productivity. School-aged children have high influenza illness attack rates and play a key role in influenza transmission throughout the community.

Purpose:

To utilize the existing public health resources and community partnerships to develop a sustainable best practice model for school-based seasonal influenza clinics.

Significance: Sufficient research has demonstrated that mass vaccination of school-aged children may be the most efficient approach in reducing population-level influenza illness attack rates. However, school-based seasonal influenza clinics are not commonly utilized as challenges remain in developing and sustaining such models.

Methodology:

Having developed a successful school-located vaccination (SLV) clinics campaign during H1N1 pandemic, the Kanawha-Charleston health department and Kanawha county schools partnered again to offer the 2010 seasonal influenza vaccine to all the children enrolled in public and private schools in the largest county in West Virginia. Vaccine was offered to children regardless of insurance status but parents were asked to voluntarily fill out insurance information. Public education on influenza was conducted.

Results:

Between October 18, 2010 and January 06, 2011, total of 7,956 vaccine doses were administered in schools. Adequate insurance information was voluntarily provided by parents for 89% of the children vaccinated.

Recommendations:

Developing strong partnership between local health departments and school system including defined responsibilities is central to successful implementation of seasonal influenza SLV clinics. This model can be sustainable if sufficient parents provide insurance information voluntarily.