COLUMBUS, Ohio – New Ohio State University students will have to prove that they’ve had shots to protect against a list of vaccine-preventable illnesses.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
The vaccine requirement, which starts in August, comes almost a year after a mumps outbreak on and around campus sickened almost 500 people. A subsequent measles outbreak north of central Ohio amplified discussions about boosting immunization rates throughout the state, including at universities and colleges.
There are no statewide higher-education shot requirements in Ohio, but some states have mandates.
The District of Columbia and 26 states, for example, require college students to have the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ohio State is requiring that incoming students have proof of vaccination against the following illnesses: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and varicella (chickenpox).
And students new to residence halls will have to be vaccinated against meningitis.
Vaccines aren’t required for returning upperclassmen or — at least for now — students at branch campuses.
Those moving into residence halls at the Newark, Mansfield and Wooster campuses will be required to have a meningitis vaccine.
Students who haven’t met these requirements come spring semester will be barred from scheduling classes.