2011 School Located Influenza Vaccination Campaign

For the seventh year, Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is again partnering with the Knox County School System, private schools, Head Starts, and child care facilities in Knox County to offer FREE influenza vaccinations in the school setting to eligible children ages 6 months to 19 years of age living in Knox County, Tennessee. You may access the school clinic schedules through a link on this page.  FluMist intranasal vaccine will be offered in our school-located clinics.

Working together with Knox County Schools and parents, KCHD has vaccinated more than 47 percent of the eligible children over the past six influenza seasons.  This collaborative effort has created a healthier community and helped to keep our children in school and schools open.  This year, the goal is to vaccinate at least 55 percent of the eligible children in Knox County.
There are some changes to this year’s program. 

1. The Consent Process for your child’s vaccination should be completed on line at www.ZippSlip.com.  If you prefer to use a paper form for consent, you may follow the link on this page for the hard copy consent form or complete the one sent to your child’s school. 
   
2. Due to budget constraints beyond KCHD’s control, this year only one phase of the program will be offered, scheduled for October 24 through November 18. 
   
3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that vaccine naïve children (definition is below) receive two doses of vaccine.  If your child is identified as vaccine naïve, please go to your provider, the Health Department, or an organization that provides influenza vaccinations for their second dose four weeks after the initial dose.  If you chose to take your child to the Health Department, the vaccination will be provided at no cost.  Vaccine naïve is defined as:
1. Children aged 6 months up to 9 years who have NOT been vaccinated previously against influenza, or
2. Children aged 6 months up to 9 years who did not receive at least 1 dose of the 2010-2011seasonl influenza vaccine remove the original
4. If your child is home schooled, please attend a vaccination clinic hosted in your designated school or go to one of the Health Department locations. 
1. Go to www.ZippSlip.com to complete the consent process or complete a paper form.  If you complete the paper consent form, please return it to the school you are associated with that is hosting a clinic. 
2. If your child has a contraindication (medical reason why the intra-nasal vaccination is not recommended) to FluMist or does not attend a hosting location, please bring your child to any health department location for a free influenza injectable vaccination

If your child has a contraindication (medical reason why the intra-nasal vaccination is not recommended) to FluMist or does not attend a hosting location, please bring your child to any health department location for a free influenza injectable vaccination.

If you have questions about influenza vaccination, we encourage you to:

1. Contact your healthcare provider,
2. Ask your school nurse,
3. Go to www.CDC.gov, or
4. Review the information on our website.