1/15/21 MDPH School Health Unit Update: Influenza Vaccine

IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR SCHOOL NURSES RE INFLUENZA VACCINE REQUIREMENT

Greetings from the School Health Unit;

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is removing the requirement for flu vaccination for attendance in childcare/preschool, primary, secondary and postsecondary education.  Preliminary data show that this has been a mild flu season to date, presumably as people have received their seasonal flu vaccine and have been adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing due to COVID-19.   Given the intensive Commonwealth-wide efforts regarding COVID-19 vaccination, DPH wants to alleviate the burden to obtain flu vaccination and focus on continuing our COVID -19 vaccination efforts.

DPH continues to strongly recommend that everyone age six months and older receive their seasonal flu vaccine each year.

The updated schedule can be found here.

Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of the young people and families of our Commonwealth,

Karen

Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN

<she, her, hers>

Director of School Health Services

Division of Child/Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

250 Washington St. 5th floor, Boston, MA 02108

karen.robitaille2@state.ma.us

cell 781-675-0463

Personal Webex room: https://statema.webex.com/meet/Karen.Robitaille3