Flu vaccinations for Temple/Belton-area school children at no cost
- Tenth year for this landmark research study at Scott & White-

TEMPLE, TEXAS – Researchers at the Scott & White Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine intend to vaccinate as many as 23,000 Temple/Belton-area school children against the seasonal flu. The vaccinations started Saturday, August 22.

A ground-breaking study that began in 1998, the Vaccines for Influenza Prevention in Schools (VIPS), provides flu immunizations at no charge to students’ ages 4 and up at their schools. Most children will receive FluMist®, the live-weakened nasal spray vaccine, instead of a flu shot in the arm. Children not eligible to receive the FluMist® vaccine because of chronic illnesses may still participate in the study and receive a flu shot (killed virus vaccine). School staff will also be offered influenza vaccinations at no charge.

“Control of Epidemic Influenza” is the formal name of the medical research study. The study is exploring an approach to control community outbreaks of influenza by vaccinating a majority of the school-age children in a community. The VIPS study will be sending 2-4 influenza vaccination teams every school day to complete immunizing students in East Bell County by September 18, 2009. “This year’s school-based seasonal influenza campaign should serve as a model to control pandemic A/H1N1 influenza,” said Dr. Manjusha Gaglani, the local principal investigator of the study and associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Scott & White. The VIPS team will be sending pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccination information for children shortly after the seasonal vaccination campaign.

“The results reported from previous years of this community-based study and other school-based studies have already led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make a new recommendation since 2008 that all school-age children get vaccinated against seasonal influenza every year,” added Dr. Gaglani.

There is no charge for students to participate in the study. To participate in the study, students must reside in one of seven area school districts: Academy, Belton, Holland, Rogers, Salado, Temple and Troy. Private schools and home-school students within the seven districts’ boundaries are also eligible.

Research staff will be visiting elementary, middle and high schools in the seven school districts. Parents can expect to receive study information and consent forms from the schools shortly before the vaccination team is scheduled to be at the school. The completed forms need to be returned to the school. Study vaccinations will also be available on Saturdays at the Scott & White Ambulatory Pediatric Clinic located near the corner of 25th Street and Ave. R in Temple from 9 p.m. to 3 p.m.

A schedule for the school vaccination days is available at http://stopflu.sw.org.

“In addition to elementary schools, this year we’re able to continue flu vaccinations to students in middle and high schools, private schools, and home-schooled children in the VIPS campaign,” Dr. Gaglani said. “The flu vaccinations will be given during school hours for parents’ convenience. In return, we ask for the parents to call us if the child experiences any serious illness within six weeks of vaccination.”

According to the CDC, influenza is responsible for approximately 36,000 deaths each year. Infection rates and medical complications with the flu are greatest among young children and the elderly.

For more information, contact:

Scott Clark
Scott & White Healthcare

Media and Public Relations

254-724-9724

sdclark@swmail.sw.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2009