CITIZEN JOURNALISM:
Each state has immunization requirements, sometimes called school laws, that must be met before a child may enter school. These may include vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus (lockjaw), Haemo philus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and hepatitis B. Some states have added varicella (chicken pox) vaccination to the list of required vaccines. Smallpox vaccination was once required, but the disease basically has been eradicated, and this vaccination is no longer needed.
In most states, a parent must bring written proof of a child’s immunizations from a health provider or clinic at the time of school registration. If a required vaccination has not been obtained and there is no health condition or religious objection preventing immunization, the child must receive the vaccinations before school entry.
These required vaccinations don’t protect just the children in a classroom - they protect teachers, parent volunteers, visiting grandparents and everyone else who enters the classroom or provides services to the school. The blanket of protection provided by the rubella (German measles) vaccination is especially important for women who are pregnant. Rubella can have serious effects on a developing fetus, including causing deafness, blindness, heart disease, brain damage or other serious problems, including miscarriage. Some adults may remember how common this disease was before the rubella vaccine became available. Rubella was feared for its effects, including ear infection, pneumonia, diarrhea, seizures, brain damage and death.
All D.C. public and private school students are required to have their vaccinations by Sept. 8. Parents should bring their children’s immunization cards with them when taking their children to get vaccinated. There are new immunization requirements for all grade levels for the 2009-10 school year.
“The best way to protect your children from entirely preventable diseases such as measles, mumps or chicken pox is to get them vaccinated,” said Dr. Pierre N.D. Vigilance, director of the D.C. Department of Health, recently. “Every child that goes unvaccinated increases the chances that an outbreak will occur.”
Required immunizations for all students already in place:
• Diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DTP/DTap/Td).
• Polio.
• Measles/mumps/rubella (MMR).
• Hepatitis B.
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (hib).
New required immunizations:
• All students - chickenpox (varicella) vaccine.
• Four years of age or younger - pneumococcal (1-4 age-appropriate doses) and hepatitis A vaccines.
• Sixth through 12th grade - meningococcal vaccine; Tdap booster if five years have passed since last dose of DTP/DTaP/Td beginning at age 11; human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for female students enrolling in sixth grade for the first time.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vaccine Program Office; D.C. Department of Health
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