The Flu Ends with U Campaign

The “Flu Ends with U” was an annual campaign created by the DeKalb County Health Department to emphasize the importance of flu vaccinations. Knowing that flu season can begin as early as October, the health department encouraged everyone six months and older to get their flu shot in September, ensuring that antibodies would have enough time to build up and provide protection throughout the season. In addition to encouraging vaccination, the campaign also aimed to increase awareness of the 3 C’s to help stop the spread of germs – (1) clean your hands, (2) cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and (3) contain your germs by staying home if you are ill. To reduce barriers connected to vaccine access, the health department offered walk-in flu clinics for adults and children from September to November with extended hours on select days allowing individuals unable to visit during the day to receive their vaccine at night. A website was created to support the campaign and house important information including clinic schedules, vaccination consent forms, resources on different types of influenza viruses, flu symptoms to look out for, antiviral drugs to take if you get sick, and steps to take if you end up with the flu. Additional resources were also made available in English and Spanish and a number for the flu hotline was provided. The webpage also acted as the landing page for the County’s social media campaign #SleeveUp. The social media campaign was developed to support “Flu Ends with U” efforts, encouraging residents to share posts on their accounts that showcased the actions they were taking to protect themselves and others from the flu. Campaign developers created a library of images for #SleeveUp that could be downloaded from the landing page and used by individuals on the platform of their choosing.

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