As your family prepares for school to open in the fall, your thoughts may turn to getting school supplies, meeting your child’s new teacher, and purchasing school clothes. Verifying your child’s vaccines are up to date may not be on your back to school checklist, but it should be.
Why School Vaccines Need To Be Up To Date
The law requires your child to be vaccinated. To attend kindergarten at a public school, all 50 states and the District of Columbia require vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP); polio(IPV); measles and rubella; and chickenpox (varicella). Some jurisdictions mandate vaccines for illnesses such as mumps, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, flu, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and meningitis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has created a recommended vaccine schedule because vaccines prevent disease and save lives. Even if the law where you live doesn’t require vaccines for older children, you should still make sure their vaccines are up to date. The close contact in schools provides a ready environment for the spread of disease. Every year students from kindergarten to college fall ill to disease that could have been prevented by vaccines. Physical suffering and hospitalizations can result. On rare occasions, not being up to date on vaccines has fatal consequences.
How An Urgent Care Center Can Expedite The Process
In the last weeks of summer, getting an appointment for school vaccines with your child’s pediatrician can be a challenge. Many families try to get well visits done before school starts. Also, lots of families realize their need back to school vaccines. You don’t have to wait for your pediatrician to become available to get back to school vaccines. Often you can take your child to an urgent care center on a walk-in basis for school vaccines. Make sure your child’s primary care physician is aware of vaccines not received in the pediatrician’s office. Contact us today to schedule your children’s vaccines!
