Be sure kids’ vaccinations are all up to date
August is in full swing, and kids all across Florida are loading their backpacks and lunchboxes for a new and exciting school year. Palm Beach County classes started last week, and students report to class in Broward on Monday.
One of the most important things parents can “pack” is the reassurance of having their children up to date on all their vaccine requirements. Our state medical associations, joined by others, are working together to make families aware of all vaccine requirements and recommendations to keep children safe.
The last thing you want to worry about during the busy school year is your child being exposed to the countless diseases other children can bring into the school environment, especially from summer travel around the country or throughout the world. Vaccines help develop immunity to many serious infectious diseases by building up the body’s ability to recognize and fight preventable diseases. Missing time from school to treat one of these illnesses will cost your child valuable classroom time and be a distraction to your family.
Children entering preschool and grades K-12 must have the following vaccines: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), MMR, polio, varicella (chicken pox) and hepatitis B. For older students packing up to go away to college for the first time, be sure to check with health services at their university for the most updated requirements.
While these absolutely essential vaccines are required, it is also important to consider getting a number of recommended vaccines. For example, meningitis B acts quickly and is potentially fatal — it can be deadly within just hours or days of getting sick. Students of college age are among those most susceptible to contracting meningitis B, because it spreads rapidly in communal settings. Students living in residence halls on many college campuses are required to be vaccinated against other strains of meningitis, but the vaccine for meningitis B is not yet required — but it is still an extremely good idea.
If you and your family are new to Florida, you’ll want to make sure you are aware of any changes in requirements from state to state, because it is never safe to assume vaccine requirements are the same from one place to another. County health departments in Florida are providing free immunization services for eligible children entering school for the first time, as well as those who are returning to class in the upcoming school year. This service will help guarantee that schools across Florida are better safeguarded against these diseases than ever before.
A great way to help keep track of your family’s immunization history is the Florida SHOTS (State Health Online Tracking System) program. Florida SHOTS is a free, statewide centralized online immunization registry that helps parents, health care providers, and schools keep track of immunization records. Ask your health care provider for a personal identification number so you can view your child’s immunization history.
Even the best schools can harbor all kinds of scary diseases, and the health and well-being of every child in a classroom can be affected by one student who contracted a potentially harmful disease because he or she wasn’t properly vaccinated. The best thing parents across Florida can do for their children is make sure they get all the shots they need, so they can enjoy a school year filled with fun and learning, and the many wonderful adventures that go with them.
Ronald Renuart Sr., DO, FACP, is president of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. Barbara Arcos, DO, is president of the Florida Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians.