Monday, July 01, 2022

Pasco County Schools is partnering with Health Hero Florida to provide a NO COST flu vaccine to students with parental consent. The Centers for Disease Control recommends the use of injectable influenza vaccine only; the nasal spray flu vaccine ("flu mist”) is not available and will not be administered. Qualified Health Hero Florida professionals will ONLY administer the injectable influenza vaccine.

Consent forms will be sent home by your child’s school. In order for your child to receive the flu vaccine shot during their scheduled clinic day, parents must complete and sign the consent form and return it to the school. If the form is incomplete or unsigned your child will not receive the flu vaccine. Since this is a voluntary service, if you do not want your child to receive this vaccine, please DO NOT complete the consent form.

The flu shots will be available to students attending school in the Traditional bricks and mortar learning model. It will not be available to students attending school remotely (mySchool Online and Pasco eSchool) due to logistical issues.  Parents of students attending remotely can go to the Health Department for FREE flu vaccine for any child under the age of 19.

Please see the schedule below to find out the date for your child’s flu vaccine clinic. Consent forms are also available below in English and in Spanish. These can be printed out, completed, signed, and returned to the school. For more information, please visit HealthHeroFlorida.com

Influenza Immunization Schedule

The schedule for the 2023-2024 school year will be published as soon as the District School Board of Pasco County receives it from Health Heroes. 

General Information

The Florida Department of Health continues to provide specific guidance to parents regarding symptoms and treatment of influenza or flu which is now widespread across our state. Symptoms of the flu often include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, or fatigue. The best way to protect against seasonal flu and its potentially severe complications is for children to get a seasonal influenza vaccine each year. Antiviral medication for flu has been shown to reduce the severity and length of the disease and decrease the risk of complications from influenza. Making healthy choices at school and home can help prevent the flu and keep it from spreading to others. Children, parents, and staff should take the following everyday preventive actions:

• Stay home when you are sick and keep your child with flu symptoms home from school. Children must not return to school for at least 24 hours after their symptoms have disappeared.
• Contact your healthcare provider if you or your child are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Cover your sneezes or coughs with a tissue or your elbow, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, or school.

For more information, please visit https://cdc.gov/flu.

Revised 04/2023