School Nurses Join National Influenza Vaccination Week to Keep Flu Out of School
NATIONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION WEEK (December 4-10, 2016) is a great time for school nurses to remind teachers, parents and everyone in our community to take action to Keep Flu out of School. While we know that flu season can begin as early as October, it usually peaks between December and February, and it can last as late as May. As long as flu viruses are spreading, it's not too late to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones.
As school nurses, we have the potential to reach a large part of our community and it's easy to reach families, teachers and other school nurses by sharing the key messages below on your social media and communication channels. You can find more resources on the Keep Flu Out of School website:
www.preventchildhoodinfluenza.org/school.
REACHING FAMILIES
Flu is a serious contagious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. You have the power to protect yourself and your family this season with these three actions to fight flu.
- Get a flu vaccine. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine by the end of October, if possible. A yearly flu vaccine is the first and most important step in protecting against the flu.
- Take everyday actions to stop the spread of germs. Wash your hands often with soap and water, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and wash your hands often with soap and water. If you become sick, limit your contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them. If you get the flu, medicine, called antiviral drugs, can be used to treat flu illness. Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They may also prevent serious flu complications. Learn more about how you can fight the flu this season at www.cdc.gov/fightflu
Facebook
- National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that highlights the importance of influenza vaccination and [SCHOOL NAME HERE] is focused on preventing the spread of flu at our school. Help us keep flu out of our school by getting an annual flu vaccine for yourself and your family if you have not already! Find out more about preventing the flu and Keep Flu Out of School program on http://bit.ly/1uOHNnk #GetVaccinated!
- When your child comes down with the flu, he or she may miss a lot of school while recovering – and somebody will need to stay home to provide care and make trips to the doctor. During National Influenza Vaccination Week learn about how to prevent flu on http://bit.ly/Y4Emhx.
Twitter
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It's National Influenza Vaccination Week! If you haven't already gotten your flu vaccine, NOW is the time to get it to #KFOS #NIVW
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During National Influenza Vaccination Week #NIVW, learn about how to prevent #flu http://bit.ly/Y4Emhx.
REACHING SCHOOL NURSES
School nurses are a trusted resource to student, their parents/guardians, and school staff such as teachers. NIVW is a great time to make sure that flu prevention messaging is incorporated into communications to staff, students, and their parents/guardians.
Facebook
- Download the Are You a Flu Fighter? coloring book to give to students when they visit the nurse’s office to educate them on the importance of annual flu vaccination for themselves and their families. The book is available in both English & Spanish. Download a copy from http://bit.ly/1uOIM6L.
- Download ready-to-use work plans to share with teachers in your school so that they can use them to teach students about the importance of annual flu vaccination to stay healthy and protect other students from flu http://bit.ly/1us8yk7.
Twitter
- @schoolnurses can #FightFlu by educating #teachers, personnel, students, & families http://bit.ly/1us8yk7 #KFOS
- We encourage all @schoolnurses to post a #VaxWithMe selfie to show how you Keep Flu Out of School #KFOS [PHOTO]
- Healthcare providers are trusted & valuable sources of health info. Recommend #flu vaccine for all students at your school. Tools: http://bit.ly/1us8yk7 #KFOS
- @schoolnurses should make plans to vaccinate ALL students against #flu. #KFOS Resources: http://bit.ly/1us8yk7
REACHING TEACHERS
Twitter
- Stay home if you’re sick-don’t be ‘That Guy!’ http://bit.ly/ZVrkky #FightFlu #KFOS
- #Teachers: If you get #flu, stay home & ask #flu antivirals! Help us students safe from flu #KFOS http://bit.ly/Y4Emhx
And, if you are up for even more fun flu activities, consider joining these CDC hosted activities:
NIVW Blog-a-thon!
December 4-10During NIVW, CDC is encouraging partners to write a post on their blog on the importance of flu vaccination. CDC will be kicking off the Blog-a-thon on Monday, December 5 with a post on Public Health Matters before passing the torch to other partners spreading the message on flu vaccination. Look for other participating blogs throughout the week and share your own post on social media using the hashtag #NIVW2016 and #fightflu. For those interested in being a part of the Blog-a-thon, a badge will be available to include with your post to show your participation in the event. Help us spread the word that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine this season! For more information about the Blog-a-thon, contact
FluInbox@cdc.gov.
NIVW Hashtag Challenge
Wednesday, December 7 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm ET
CDC will sponsor a hashtag challenge to spread awareness about the upcoming flu season and to remind the public that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine. Working with Hashtag Roundup and National Lampoon, CDC will toss out the hashtag #PutFluInAFilm on December 7 at 11am ET. Choose a movie, replace one of the words in the movie title with the word “flu,” and tweet your movie title with the challenge hashtag. For our flu partners, we are asking that you also include in the tweet or follow up your movie title tweet with a message about the importance of flu vaccination. An example tweet can be found below:
The Hunger Games: Catching Flu. #PutFluInAFilm Don’t catch the #flu this season. A flu vaccine is the 1st & best protection against flu.
Close Encounters of the Flu Kind. #PutFluInAFilm Avoid your own close encounter with flu this season. Get a flu vaccine!
Our goal is to have flu facts and information popping up within the hashtag feed, providing a learning opportunity for those playing along.
Together we CAN Keep Flu Out of School
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