For immediate release: August 2, 2007 (07-130)

Contacts:
Michele Perrin, Immunization Program CHILD Profile 360-236-3720
Allison Cook, Communications Office 360-236-4022

Backpack? Check. No. 2 Pencils? Check. Immunizations? Check.
Prepare your child for school by making sure their immunizations are up to date

OLYMPIA ¾ Childhood vaccinations remain one of the most effective ways to protect children against serious and preventable illnesses, some of which have no cure or treatment. Parents should use these next several weeks to ensure their kids have all the immunizations they need to begin school.

"Immunization not only protects children, but it also protects the people they come into contact with, including other kids in school," said Dr. Maxine Hayes, state health officer and a pediatrician. "Getting children immunized is the best way to protect your family and other children from getting sick."

There is a new requirement for this school year involving the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. Kids entering sixth grade should be vaccinated if they are 11 or older and if it has been five years since they last received a tetanus vaccine. This booster shot protects older children against whooping cough (pertussis). Young children receive a vaccine that prevents these same diseases, but protection starts to wear off in the early teen years. If your child is starting sixth grade, ask your doctor if they need to get the Tdap vaccine.

Kids starting kindergarten, first grade and sixth grade must get the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine or document they’ve had the disease. Children 19 months to kindergarten age who attend licensed child care or preschool must also be vaccinated against chickenpox.

Although exemptions are allowed for medical, religious or personal reasons, the best disease protection is to make sure children have all recommended immunizations. Children who are not fully immunized may be excluded from attending school, preschool or childcare if a disease outbreak occurs.

Parents should also consider the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. This vaccine is not required for school admission and is available at no cost to girls under 19 in our state. This new vaccine gives parents the ability to protect their daughters against four types of HPV— two that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and two that cause 90 percent of genital warts. Girls need three doses of the vaccine for the best protection. The HPV vaccine is recommended for girls 11–12 and girls as young as nine if their doctor recommends it. The vaccine is also available for females 13–26 who did not get the vaccine at a younger age.

Health care providers can use the CHILD Profile Immunization Registry to track patient immunization history and ensure patient’s vaccination records are current. Providers can help parents complete the necessary paperwork by printing a child’s Certificate of Immunization Status form directly from the registry. Parents should request their child’s shot records a month before school and should use their regular health care providers for all childhood vaccinations whenever possible. For help finding a health care provider or an immunization clinic, call your local health agency (www.doh.wa.gov/LHJMap/LHJMap.htm) or the Within Reach (www.withinreachwa.org) Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588.

Information on required vaccines (www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/Immunize/schools.htm) is available online. The CHILD Profile Immunization Registry (www.childprofile.org) provides information on the immunization registry program.

###