With only a few days or weeks to go (for some) before school resumes, it's important to know August happens to be National Immunization Month. For every age child that is getting ready for school there are, immunizations that are necessary and for any child who has missed or lapsed immunizations it is a good time to update and “catch-up”.
Children entering kindergarten (ages 4-6) will need to have had a DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis), an IPV (inactivated polio), MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) and Varivax (chickenpox) vaccines. (These are all booster doses).
It has also been recommended that children over the age of 1 year (who have completed their 4 dose Prevnar series with Prenvar 7) and who are under the age of 6, receive a booster dose of the newer Prevnar 13 . (see previous blog from Spring 2010).
For those children between the ages of 11-12 years there are also booster doses (for older children and adults too) of the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine (TdaP) as well as the meningococcal vaccine. These shots are typically given before entering 7th grade.
If your child is over the age of 11 years and has not yet received the meningococcal vaccine I would go ahead and get it, even if they are still in later elementary school and it may not be “required”. (The names of the vaccine are Menactra or Menveo). This vaccine prevents a devastating form of meningitis and bacterial blood infection that often leads to a rather rapid death in the adolescent and young adult age group.
There is also the recommendation that all adolescents who “missed” receiving a meningococcal meningitis vaccine during their high school years receive a dose prior to entering college. In fact, in the state of Texas, this is the first year that ALL college freshmen must show proof of immunization prior to moving into their dormitory. This is due to the fact that meningococcal meningitis has a higher attack rate for adolescents and young adults, especially those living in close living quarters, such as a dormitory.
Once you get the vaccine it takes awhile for your body to develop antibodies and therefore immunity, so college students who get vaccinated once arriving at school, will also have to wait 10 days before they are allowed to move into their dorm. If you son or daughter is heading to college in the next several weeks, go get the vaccine now, so that you will have a 10 day window to show proof of vaccination.
With outbreaks of pertussis on the west coast, and actually clusters throughout the United States, this is a good time to reiterate that all adults should have a tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria vaccine too!! That means every 8–10 years and you want to make sure you have gotten the vaccine containing acellular pertussis, which prevents the adult population from spreading whooping cough to infants who have not yet been immunized or who are just getting their own 3 dose series.
Even adults need to continue getting vaccinated and the TdaP vaccine is recommended for adults until 65 years of age.
What can you expect from me over the next few weeks? Updates about flu vaccine once again. How time flies!
That's your daily dose for today. We'll chat again tomorrow.
