Ready for school? Immunize for a healthy and safe school year
By Public Health – Seattle & King County
The start of school is just around the corner. For a healthy and safe 2011 – 2012 school year, every parent’s back-to-school checklist should include making sure children are up to date in their immunizations.
Recent cases of pertussis in Washington state, the unusually high number of imported measles cases in the United States this year, and an ongoing mumps outbreak in neighboring British Columbia are all important reminders that vaccine-preventable diseases remain a threat to health.
This school year, the following vaccines are required:
• All students will need proof of three doses of hepatitis B vaccine and two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR), an age-appropriate series of polio vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine.
• Two doses of chickenpox (varicella) vaccine or doctor-verified history of disease are required for age kindergarten through grade 3. Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 are required to have one dose of varicella or parental history of disease. Varicella vaccine is recommended for children in grades 7 – 12 who have never had chickenpox.
• Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine) is required for students in grades 6 through 10.
The complete list of the immunization schedules for schools, including child cares and pre-schools, is online at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/communicable/immunization/children.aspx. If you do not have a health care provider, contact the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 or www.ParentHelp123.org for assistance.
Although not required for school entry, immunizations are also recommended for children to protect against hepatitis A, meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Ask your health care provider about these vaccines.
Parents or legal guardians have the right to choose not to immunize their children, based on medical, religious or philosophical reasons. However, there is a risk when choosing against vaccination. In addition to the potential risk of becoming infected with a vaccine-preventable disease if exposed to the illness, a child who is not fully immunized may be excluded from attending school or childcare during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.
In King County, the vast majority of parents and guardians aim to complete the immunizations schedule, but 5.1 percent of children had a signed exemption at kindergarten entry in fall 2010. A new law, effective this year, changes the process for parents or guardians to exempt their child from school or child care immunization requirements. Under the new law, parents must get vaccine education from their health care provider and signed verification from their provider if they choose an exemption.
Return to the E-Voice Newsletter for the North-East Region
The start of school is just around the corner. For a healthy and safe 2011 – 2012 school year, every parent’s back-to-school checklist should include making sure children are up to date in their immunizations.
Recent cases of pertussis in Washington state, the unusually high number of imported measles cases in the United States this year, and an ongoing mumps outbreak in neighboring British Columbia are all important reminders that vaccine-preventable diseases remain a threat to health.
This school year, the following vaccines are required:
• All students will need proof of three doses of hepatitis B vaccine and two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR), an age-appropriate series of polio vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine.
• Two doses of chickenpox (varicella) vaccine or doctor-verified history of disease are required for age kindergarten through grade 3. Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 are required to have one dose of varicella or parental history of disease. Varicella vaccine is recommended for children in grades 7 – 12 who have never had chickenpox.
• Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine) is required for students in grades 6 through 10.
The complete list of the immunization schedules for schools, including child cares and pre-schools, is online at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/communicable/immunization/children.aspx. If you do not have a health care provider, contact the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 or www.ParentHelp123.org for assistance.
Although not required for school entry, immunizations are also recommended for children to protect against hepatitis A, meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Ask your health care provider about these vaccines.
Parents or legal guardians have the right to choose not to immunize their children, based on medical, religious or philosophical reasons. However, there is a risk when choosing against vaccination. In addition to the potential risk of becoming infected with a vaccine-preventable disease if exposed to the illness, a child who is not fully immunized may be excluded from attending school or childcare during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.
In King County, the vast majority of parents and guardians aim to complete the immunizations schedule, but 5.1 percent of children had a signed exemption at kindergarten entry in fall 2010. A new law, effective this year, changes the process for parents or guardians to exempt their child from school or child care immunization requirements. Under the new law, parents must get vaccine education from their health care provider and signed verification from their provider if they choose an exemption.
Return to the E-Voice Newsletter for the North-East Region
