The Woodward County Health Department is urging parents to beat the back-to-school rush by scheduling immunizations now for children who will be attending school or day care.
“Vaccinating ... against preventable diseases is one of the most important things parents and caregivers can do for their children,” said Woodward County Administrative Director Terri Salisbury. “In the past 50 years, school vaccination laws have helped eliminate outbreaks from schools and assure our children and communities are safe from many dangerous diseases.”
While some parents may feel reluctant about immunizations, Salisbury said diseases, such as polio, can be life threatening.
When people were affected in the 1950s with polio, some patients who were paralyzed lived on lung machines, she said.
“We must continue to make sure our children are protected against preventable disease,” Salisbury said. “When we don’t vaccinate, we leave the door open for the return of diseases, such as measles, which continues to be a threat to children in the United States.”
According to Salisbury, the Woodward County Health Department offers walk-in immunizations from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. every Monday.
The office is located at 1631 Texas Ave.
Immunizations are provided free through the Vaccines for Children program, Salisbury said, noting, parents should remember to bring their child’s shot record.
The following immunizations are required for children entering child care, according to a news release from the health department:
•Two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine with the first dose due at 12 months old and the second dose due six to 18 months later.
•Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine by 19 months old.
•One dose of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine due at 12 months to 15 moths old or a statement from a doctor confirming the child had chickenpox disease.
•A dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine due at 12 months to 15 months old.
•Four doses of DTaP at two, four, six, and 12 to 18 months old.
•Three doses of IPV (polio) vaccine at two, four and six to 18 months old.
•Two to three doses of Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine at two, four and six months of age or two and four months of age, depending on type of Hib vaccine used.
•One to four doses of PCV (pneumococcal conjugate) vaccine at two, four, six and 12 to 15 months old.
Children entering pre-school must be up to date for all of the vaccines required for child care, except Hib and PCV.
All children entering kindergarten through 12th grade are required to have:
•Two doses of MMR.
•Two doses of Hepatitis A.
•Two or three doses of Hepatitis B (adolescents 11 through 15 years old can receive a two-dose series.)
•Five doses of DTaP/DTP.
•Four doses of polio.
Children entering kindergarten through 11th grade also must have:
•A dose of varicella vaccine or a statement from the parent or doctor confirming the child had chickenpox disease.
Although the following vaccines are not required to attend school, they are recommended for children 11 years old and older:
•Second dose of chickenpox vaccine because immunity decreases with time.
•A dose of Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria, because immunity decreases with time.
•A dose of Meningococcal conjugate (MCV4), because the risk for this disease increases from 15 through 24 years old.
•For girls, three doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to prevent two types of virus that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer.
