School Is In Session– Are Your Students Fully Vaccinated?

Making sure your students stay up to date with vaccinations is the best way to protect your communities and schools from outbreaks that can cause unnecessary illnesses and deaths. According to the CDC:

• Preliminary data for 2012 show that more than 41,000 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) were reported across the United States and many more cases go unreported. During this time, 18 deaths have been reported—the majority of the deaths were in children younger than 3 months of age. Outbreaks of pertussis at middle and high schools can occur as protection from vaccines fades.

• In 2011, the number of reported cases of measles was higher than usual—220 people had the disease. Travelers bring measles into the United States from countries where the disease still circulates, including many European countries. Measles can be serious, causing hospitalization and even death. Young children are at highest risk for serious complications from measles. Measles can spread very easily in a school environment.

CDC provides an immunization schedule for people ages 7 through 18 years for educators, parents, and doctors to protect children and teens from vaccine-preventable disease. To learn more, visit the preteen vaccine pages.

It’s Not Too Late

Getting every recommended dose of each vaccine provides children with the best protection possible. If a child misses a shot, it can be difficult to figure out the best way to catch up. To help, CDC and colleagues at Georgia Tech have developed the Catch-Up Immunization Scheduler, an online tool that shows parents and healthcare providers the best options for getting children 6 years of age and younger back on schedule.

Or, parents and healthcare providers can use the Adolescent Immunization Scheduler to determine what vaccines are needed for children 7 through 18 years of age.