Back To School – Is Your Child Fully Vaccinated?

School is in full swing for many children across the state, and with kids heading back to the classroom, parents are gathering supplies, backpacks and other necessities to make sure their kids are fully prepared for the new school year. With all the hustle and bustle a new school year brings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants to ensure parents don’t forget one crucial step in back-to-school preparation: vaccinations.

According to CDC, making sure your children stay up to date with vaccinations is the best way to ensure their long term health – as well as the health of friends, classmates and others in your community. Getting every recommended dose of each vaccine provides your children with the best protection possible and protects communities and schools against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. There are some diseases, such as whooping cough and chickenpox that, although preventable with a vaccine, remain fairly common in the United States. Fortunately, there are many other diseases that are no longer common because of vaccines.

There are 14 different diseases that childhood vaccines help prevent. For many of these vaccines, more than one dose is needed to build up immunity and provide the best protection.

Chickenpox (Varicella)

Diphtheria

Flu (Influenza)

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Hib

Measles

Mumps

Polio

Pneumococcal

Rotavirus

Rubella

Tetanus

Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

CDC warns that when children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk of disease and can spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community—including babies who have not received their full vaccinations and people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly.

According to Utah Department of Health Immunization Program, The following vaccines are required for students entering Kindergarten:

5 DTP/DTaP/DT – 4 doses if 4th dose was given on/after the 4th birthday

4 Polio – 3 doses if 3rd dose was given on/after the 4th birthday

2 Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)

3 Hepatitis B

2 Hepatitis A

2 Varicella (Chickenpox) -history of disease is acceptable, parent must sign verification statement.

The following vaccines are required for students entering seventh grade:

1 Tdap

3 Hepatitis B

2 Varicella (Chickenpox) – history of disease is acceptable

1 Meningococcal

 

View CDC’s Vaccination Schedule Below

Your child needs vaccines as they grow!

Older children and teens need vaccines too!

 

 

 

For more information on back-to-school vaccines, talk with your family provider. Revere Health Family Medicine can provide your family with the necessary vaccinations for another healthy school year.