COLUMBUS – Health officials are reminding parents that the start of the new school year means it is time to make sure their children are up-to-date on the vaccinations, especially in light of new regulations and recent outbreaks of preventable diseases.
Find out more: The Ohio Department of Health
A new law, enacted in December, requires that children in state-licensed child care facilities be vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Committee on Immunization Practices schedule, Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez said.
The CDC estimates only 69 percent of schoolchildren in Ohio are vaccinated, compared to 78 percent nationally, Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long.
“Recent significant outbreaks of mumps and measles in Ohio are a stark reminder of the importance of timely vaccines,” Long said.
Incoming kindergarten students are required to have:
2 doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination (MMR),
2 doses of the Varicella vaccination (chickenpox),
3 doses of the Hepatitis B vaccination,
3 – 4 doses of the Polio vaccination (IPV), and
4-5 doses of the DTaP vaccination (whooping cough).
Incoming seventh-grade students are required to have:
1 dose of the TDaP vaccination (whooping cough).
Whooping cough has become prevalent in Licking County, say health officials there.
Some officials also recommend the HPV vaccination, which can prevent cervical cancer, and the meningitis vaccination seventh-graders.
Ohio lawmakers also recently added the meningitis vaccine to the list of required school vaccinations, starting in the 2016-17 school year, though parents are encouraged to get their children’s shot now to protect them as soon as possible, said Long.
A meningococcal booster also is important for students headed for college where being in close quarters such as dorms can boost the risk of meningitis. Young adults also need two doses of MMR to protect them from mumps and measles.