8/1/13 Avoid delays: Immunise for back to school early

  • By Nick Sabo
  • August 1, 2013
  • 345
                        
SUMMARY: CDC, health district recommend additional vaccines Getting an early start on vaccinations can knock out one of the many headaches that go with the back-to-school season. According to information from the Ohio Association of School Nurses, children entering Kindergarten are required to be vaccinated for polio, chicken pox, measles/mumps rubella, hepatitis B and diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis. Student going into grade seven are required to have a booster shot for tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis. Anyone wanting to get their children vaccinated right away will find the Holmes County Health District ready. Beth Crone, director of nursing, said the health district begins buying vaccines in July. “Now would be better than later,” Crone said. “It’s better to get it taken care of than to have the child pulled from school in October and told they can’t come back until they’re vaccinated.” Kate King, president of the Ohio Association of School Nurses, said that waiting to get vaccines until school starts could lead to delays. “Past experience has shown us that provider’s offices will be very overrun right before school starts,” King said. “We encourage parents and guardians to schedule your child or children’s vaccinations now to avoid any unnecessary delays.” Kindergartners can get all of their required vaccines in two combination shots. To get vaccinated at the health district, a vaccination record, insurance card and social security number of the child being vaccinated must be brought in. King said that making an appointment for school vaccinations is a good opportunity to get vaccines for all diseases as recommended by the Center for DIsease Control (CDC). The CDC recommends a flu shot for children six months and older and the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine for adolescents. A hepatitis A shot is recommended for Kindergartners by the Holmes County Health District, but is not currently a requirement to entering preschool. Crone said the health district starts immunization education with families when they bring their toddlers in. Some segments of the population are averse to certain vaccines, she said, and reports, though unsupported by any scientific data, that some vaccines can cause long term damage, make some weary to immunize. The health district encourages children who attend private and parochial schools to be vaccinated, though they are not required to, Crone said. Usually, parents and guardians of children who choose to opt-out of public schools are in step with the need to immunize. “They don’t want to be the ones to blame, the one who started (an outbreak),” Crone said. “Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes an outbreak. When we had a lot of pertussis cases, people were bringing their kids in. At that time, they may have already been exposed and it may have been too late.” For more information on immunizations, contact your physician or the Holmes County Health District at 330-674-5035. A chart of required vaccines can be viewed at www.odh.ohio.gov/~/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/dis/immunizations/summary-childcareschool13.ashx August is national immunization awareness month.


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