University of Florida students are working with the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County to provide free flu vaccinations at 37 Alachua County schools through UF’s Control Flu program.
The program is returning to paper consent forms after switching to an online consent format last year, which caused participation to drop by 50%.
UF’s Control Flu program partners with the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County and UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute to bring students the FluMist, a needle-free nasal spray vaccine for the flu.
Vaccinations will begin on Sept. 30 and continue through Nov. 10, with staff visiting one or two schools each day. The program works with students from elementary through high school.
The program, which began as a pilot in 2006 before returning in 2009 during the H1N1 influenza outbreak, has continued for the past 17 years. Coordinators have used Alachua County schools as sites because students there may have limited access to health care elsewhere.
Participation in UF’s Control Flu program is voluntary. Parents are required to complete a consent form and can decline the vaccine without any repercussions.
“Sometimes different parents have different reasons why they do or do not want to participate in the program,” said Jay Kapur, a UF Control Flu program coordinator. “So we’re just happy to help anyone who wants to participate.”
Matt Silber, another UF Control Flu program coordinator, said inaccurate information can affect how people view vaccines.
“The misunderstandings come when you might, like, read something that isn’t particularly true,” said Silber. “But that’s on us to kind of share the truth.”
Vaccines are offered at no cost to students across Alachua County, regardless of insurance status. By placing vaccination sites inside schools, the program allows students to receive the vaccine without parents having to arrange transportation or students missing class time.
“Some schools nearby don’t have pediatric offices, or they don’t have a Walgreens or CVS where you can go and get a flu shot,” said Kapur. “The health department would go to schools and give it to them where they are already.”
The health department distributes consent forms to schools so parents can provide medical information before approving or declining access to the vaccine.
Completed forms are sent to the health department, which reviews the information to determine whether the student is eligible for the FluMist. Students with certain medical conditions are advised to consult their doctors before receiving FluMist, according to program coordinators.
The consistency of the program has become one of the greatest challenges for UF Control Flu. Last year, the program replaced its traditional paper consent forms with an online format, said Silber.
Coordinators of the program said the digital system created challenges for families interested in the vaccine for their children. This year, the UF Control Flu has returned to paper forms after using them for 16 of the past 17 years.
“As a kid, you have, like, a folder that you take home with paper,” Silber said. “It’s much easier for parents to fill out and sign. An online form kind of gets lost in thought.”
Although paper forms will be the main source for consent, the program is expanding its digital outreach for families and schools through Alachua County. Organizers have created a new website and started Instagram and Facebook pages to provide families and students with important information regarding the vaccine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and guardians returned fewer consent forms, which caused lower participation numbers. Before the pandemic, close to half of Alachua County’s elementary school students were vaccinated through the program, coordinators said.
A Florida Department of Health chart provided by coordinators shows that UF Control Flu administered 4,515 doses during its 2006-07 pilot year. Vaccinations increased after the program resumed, reaching 8,557 doses in 2009-10 and peaking at 14,531 in 2015-16.
In 2016-17, the total decreased to 8,280 doses before rising to 9,195 the following year. By 2019-20, the number of doses administered dropped to 8,052. The program recorded its lowest total in 2020-21 when there were only 3,986 doses administered. That represented a huge decline from previous years.
Vaccinations have increased since then. The program administered 4,804 doses in 2021-22 and reached 5,120 in 2024-25, the highest since the pandemic began.
The graph above tracks the weekly percentage of emergency room visits involving influenza-like illnesses in Alachua County, Region 3, and the rest of the state from January 2020 through December 2024. The three areas all followed similar patterns, but the rest of the state had the highest peaks in visits.
Kapur said he believes that the difference is an indication that local vaccination efforts may be reducing influenza-like illnesses in Alachua County and Region 3.
UF Control Flu also allows UF students to help with clinics and interact with students in the schools. Volunteers help operate the clinics and distribute stickers or small prizes after children receive the vaccine.
Silber said he remembers one Alachua County student who received the FluMist through the UF Control Flu Program.
“Later on, that student applied to join the program hoping to help deliver it to others,” said Silber.