The largest in-school influenza immunization campaign in Texas kicked off Oct. 15 with the goal of vaccinating 26,000 students in Central Texas.

The “Teach Flu a Lesson” campaign will reach nine districts and 136 elementary and middle schools. Last year, the campaign’s first, 6,500 students were immunized against the flu. This year’s expected total would quadruple last year’s tally.

“It’s a major deal because a lot of kids do miss school,” said former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young, who helped kick off the campaign at Pfluger Elementary School in Buda. “It takes away from the kids’ education for one.”

Susan Dawson—president of the E3 Alliance, a regional organization that uses data to promote economic and educational prosperity—said 2.4 million annual school absences are caused by the flu.

“If we can make a dent in 2.4 million absences that’s a big deal,” Dawson said.

She said a student with the flu will typically miss five days of school. When students miss school because of the flu, their parents usually miss work, Dawson said.

“It has a multiplying effect,” she said.

Students receive FluMist, a nasal spray, by default, but if they have a medical condition, such as asthma or diabetes, that does not allow them to be given the spray, they can opt for the shot, said Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon, E3 director of communications.

Last year studies indicated the nasal spray was more effective than the shot in children, said Dr. Elizabeth Reidy, medical director of the campaign. This year there is no difference in efficacy.

Less than 1 percent of children cannot take the nasal spray because of a medical condition, Reidy said.

She said despite the growing awareness of the importance of vaccinating children against the flu some are being swayed by inaccurate information on the Web.

“Thanks to Dr. Internet, there is a lot of false information out there about the dangers of flu vaccine—when really the dangers of flu are way higher than the dangers of the vaccine,” she said.

A contagious respiratory illness, the flu can be fatal but usually results in mild to severe illness. Symptoms include fever, chills, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. Vomiting and diarrhea is a symptom more commonly seen in children than adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“People don’t realize how bad the flu really is,” Reidy said.

Chris Traylor, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said infants and the elderly are the most vulnerable to the flu and often it is the school-age children who spread the illness within the household.

“The fact that our children are immunized will help those individuals, too,” Traylor said. “It truly is a cascade that will go through our communities if our children will get the flu vaccine. And I hope and believe that this is just a start.”