Parents Urged to Make Certain Their Children are Up to Date
on Immunizations Prior to Attending School
August 6, 2007—
Denver—Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
officials
are reminding parents and guardians to make certain their
children have
all the immunizations required for their age group before
they begin the
school year this fall. In January 2007, the department's
Board of Health approved three
additional vaccine requirements for children in child care
and school
settings. The three vaccines are for pneumococcal disease, a
second
dose for chickenpox and for tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap)
- which
is different from the already required DTaP
(diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis). Joni Reynolds, program
manager for the Colorado Immunization Program at
the department said, "Pertussis, also called whooping cough,
is a highly
contagious cough illness that can easily be spread from one
child to
another. It is critical we protect infants from pertussis.
Many
infected adolescents and adults may be the primary carriers
of this
disease to infants and other children, where the illness is
much more
serious, even life threatening. "The Tdap vaccine provides
good protection against pertussis and can
help reduce the spread of this disease," added Reynolds.
"Teens need a
booster dose of pertussis vaccine (Tdap) to provide
protection against
whooping cough. Young children also receive a pertussis
vaccine (DTaP)
but the protection begins to wane over time and most teens
are now
susceptible to pertussis. This new vaccine will boost their
antibodies
and provide new protection for the teens." A priority of
Gov. Bill Ritter's administration is to increase the rate
of childhood immunizations in Colorado. Immunizations are
one of the
best ways for parents to protect their children and the
population at
large from many serious childhood illnesses and diseases.
The goal is
to have 80 percent or more of the state's children fully
immunized by
2008. Jim Martin, executive director of the Department of
Public Health and
Environment, said, "The best thing parents can do to start
their
children's school year off right, is to make certain they
are up to date
on their immunizations." He encouraged parents to schedule
an
appointment with their health care providers to have their
children
immunized. Individuals who do not have health insurance
and who want to have their
children immunized can call the Colorado Helpline at
1-877-462-2911 to
obtain a list of public health clinics offering free and
low-cost
immunizations. The Web site,
www.immunizecoloradoskids.com,
provides clinic locations
and other information that parents can download and take
with them to
their doctor's office. A schedule is provided to help track
a child's
immunizations. The site was created as part of Colorado's
immunization
marketing campaign, "Immunize Colorado's Kids. Protect the
Ones You
Love." It is recommended that Colorado children have
immunizations to protect
them from these childhood diseases by the time they enter
kindergarten
or first grade: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or
whooping cough
(DTaP); haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB); hepatitis A;
hepatitis B;
influenza; measles; mumps; pneumococcal disease; polio;
rotavirus;
rubella; and varicella or chickenpox. Immunizations are
required for enrollment at a child-care center,
beginning at two months of age, and also are required for
school entry. The 11 required vaccinations are described
below:
- Chickenpox (varicella): The requirement for this
vaccine, which
first became mandatory in Colorado on July 1, 2000, is being gradually
phased in, although health officials recommend that the
vaccine be
administered to all children and youth up to the age of 18
who have not
had the disease. For the 2007-08 school year, one dose of
the varicella
or chickenpox vaccination is currently required for first
through
seventh grade. With the new school entry requirement,
children entering
kindergarten are required to have a second dose of varicella
or
chickenpox vaccination. Previously, if a parent or guardian
confirmed
the child already had chickenpox, the immunization would not
be
required. But the new requirement for the 2007-08 school
year requires
the vaccine unless there is documentation by a health care
provider that
the child has had chickenpox.
- Diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis
(DTaP): In general, a total of five
doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough)
vaccine are
required for students entering a Colorado school for the
first time.
Only four doses of the vaccine are required if the fourth
dose was
administered on or after the fourth birthday. Children who
are between 7
through 9 years of age receive Td vaccine if they need to
complete the
requirement for tetanus and diphtheria. Children 10 years of
age or
older receive the Tdap vaccine to complete the requirement
for tetanus
and diphtheria and to provide protection from pertussis.
- Hepatitis B: A total of three doses of this vaccine are
required
for preschool and all grades.
- Haemophilus influenzae
Type B (Hib): This vaccine is a preschool
requirement for children 4 years of age or younger but is
not required
for children 5 years of age or older. One, two or three
doses of this
vaccine are required, depending on both the child's current
age and the
age when the vaccine was administered.
- Measles, mumps
and rubella (MMR): Two doses of this vaccine are
required for kindergarten through 12th grades. One dose is
required for
preschool children.
- Polio: In general, three doses of
this vaccine are required for
children in preschool. Grade school, middle school and high
school
students entering a Colorado school for the first time are
required to
have four doses of this vaccine. The exception to this rule
is if a
child received his or her third polio vaccine at or after
the age of 4,
then only 3 doses are required.
- Pneumococcal disease (Prevnar/PCV7):
Pneumonia is a contagious
disease that can have serious effects in infants and young
children. The
vaccine, Prevnar (PCV7), is an effective immunization
administered in a
series to children to prevent pneumonia. The Centers for
Disease
Control and Prevention recommends the routine vaccination of
children in
preschool with the vaccine PCV7. It now will be required for
children
in licensed child-care through 23 months of age, and the
number of doses
depends on when the vaccine was initially administered.
- Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap): The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends all 11- to 12-year olds
receive a dose
of Tdap. In Colorado, Tdap vaccine will be required for all
incoming
sixth and tenth graders this upcoming school year, and in
subsequent
years that schedule will incorporate other grades as well.
The State Health Department advises parents and guardians to
take
immunization records with them when enrolling a child in a
Colorado
school for the first time.
Reynolds said that if the
school determines that a child's
immunizations are incomplete, parents have only 14 days
after receiving
notification from the school for their child to receive the
first
recommended immunization and to present to the school a
written plan for
completion of the remaining immunizations. Reynolds added
that Colorado law permits schools to suspend students
until receiving proof that the immunization requirements
have been
completed, are in process or that a parent has chosen to
file a request
for exemption. The state's schools are to deny admittance of
students
who do not present an immunization record
at the beginning of school. Under Colorado law, parents
may choose to have their children exempted
from immunization requirements for medical, religious or
personal
reasons. Exemption forms, which are required in lieu of the
certificate
of immunization for those parents who choose exemption, are
on the
reverse side of the state's Certificate of Immunization and
can be
obtained from doctors' offices and at schools. --30-- |
