KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Now is the time to make sure you keep your child healthy, safe and in school during this new school year by assuring all immunizations are up to date.
“Immunizations are a very safe and effective way to keep children performing at their best and to prevent dangerous diseases,” said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director and Health Officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County.
Besides increasing his or her risk of getting a disease, a child who is not fully immunized may be excluded from attending school or childcare during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease. The child can also spread the infection to others, like those who are immunosuppressed, pregnant women or infants.
“In the last several years, we’ve had outbreaks that involved schools and could have been prevented with vaccines,” said Betsy Hubbard, Public Health’s Immunization Coordinator. “In one measles outbreak, half of the cases involved school age children who were not appropriately immunized. These outbreaks are dangerous and disrupt the lives of local families.”
New school requirements
State law requires children to have specific immunizations before they attend school. For a complete list of required school immunizations, visit Public Health’s Back to School Immunizations web pages: www.metrokc.gov/health/immunization/school.htm.
Some school grades have new vaccine requirements this fall since new vaccines are being phased in. Hepatitis B vaccine is now required for students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students entering kindergarten through twelfth grade will be required to show proof of having received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, one dose of mumps-containing vaccine, and one dose of rubella-containing vaccine (usually received as the combined MMR vaccine).
Varicella vaccine for chickenpox is not required this coming school year but will be required in 2006.
Where to get immunizations
Regular health care provides provide childhood immunizations. For information on special back-to-school immunization clinics in King County as well as Public Health immunization clinic sites, addresses and phone numbers, visit the Back to School Immunizations web pages or call the Public Health Hotline at 206-296-4949.
Parents are requested to bring immunization records with them to all clinics. Parents should check immunization records to confirm that no doses have been missed; due to periodic shortages of some vaccines over the past several years some doses may have been postponed.
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menactra) was recently licensed and is now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for some groups, including college freshmen living in dormitories. Because of unexpected high demand, this vaccine will be in very limited supply through September.
Risks in not vaccinating
Parents or legal guardians have the right to choose not to immunize their children, based on medical, religious or philosophical reasons. Parents or legal guardians must sign the appropriate box on the Certificate of Immunization Status form to exempt their child from receiving vaccines required for school entry. There is a significant risk, however, when choosing against vaccination. If exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease, a child may become infected or may be excluded from attending school or childcare during the outbreak.
