(Posted July 31, 2019)
Back-to-school season is here. It’s a time for parents to gather school supplies and backpacks but also the perfect time to make sure children are up-to-date on their vaccines.
Madison County Public Health is hosting a Teen Back to School Shot Clinic from 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 7. Teens entering seventh grade and 12th grade are required by Ohio law to have the following vaccinations before the first day of school:
- Seventh-graders must have one Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acelluar pertussis) booster and one Meningococcal ACWY.
- Twelfth-graders must have documentation of vaccinations from seventh grade and a booster dose of Meningococcal ACWY.
Schools require children to be current on vaccinations before enrolling to protect the health of all students. Ohio law requires immunization documentation on each child for every school year. 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 are too young to be fully vaccinated and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer and other health conditions.
Children who are 4 to 6 years old are due for boosters of four vaccines: DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, also called whooping cough), chickenpox, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), and polio.
Ohio law also requires all kindergartners to have completed an immunization series of DTaP, Polio, Hepatitis B, MMR and Varicella by the first day of school. In addition, yearly flu vaccines are recommended for all children 6 months old and older.
Call Madison County Public Health at (740) 852-3065 to make an appointment for vaccinations.
