Immunizations

Disease prevention is the key to public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines help prevent infectious diseases and save lives. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

School Year Immunization Requirements

NOTE: Immunization documentationmust documentation must include: the student’s name and date of birth, the vaccine given and date (month/day/year) of each immunization, and the signature of a medical provider.

NEW!! Students entering grades 6th through 12th must have appropriate documentation of receiving the following vaccinations: Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, accellular pertussis) vaccine, MCV4-(Menactra or Menveo) meningococcal conjugate vaccine, and two varicella (chickenpox) vaccinations, appropriately spaced. Children entering preschool or kindergarten at an accredited K-12 school (not daycare centers) must now have two appropriately documented varicella (chickenpox) vaccines, separated by at least three months.

3-5 Year Olds (entering preschool at an accredited K-12 school, not a daycare):

  • Four doses of DTaP/DTP/DT/Td vaccine;
  • Three doses of Polio vaccine;
  • One dose of Measles vaccine;
  • One dose of Mumps vaccine;
  • One dose of Rubella vaccine;
  • Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine;
  • Two doses of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

Kindergarten:

  • Five doses of DTaP/DTP/DT/Td vaccine;
  • Four doses of Polio vaccine;
  • Two doses of Measles vaccine;
  • Two doses of Mumps vaccine;
  • One dose of Rubella vaccine;
  • Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine;
  • Two doses of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

1st—5th Grade:

  • Five doses of DTaP/DTP/DT/Td vaccine;
  • Four doses of Polio vaccine;
  • Two doses of Measles vaccine;
  • Two doses of Mumps vaccine;
  • One dose of Rubella vaccine;
  • Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine;
  • One dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

Vaccine Motto

Love Them, Protect Them, Immunize Them

Vaccine Safety Information for Parents

Vaccines are safe.

Vaccines are held to the highest standard of safety. The United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history. Years of testing are required by law before a vaccine can be licensed. Once in use, vaccines are continually monitored for safety and efficacy.

Each person is unique and may react differently to immunization.

Occasionally, people who receive a vaccine do not respond to it and may still get the illness the vaccine was meant to protect them against. In most cases, vaccines are effective and cause no side effects, or only mild reactions such as fever or soreness at the injection site. Very rarely, people experience more serious side effects, like allergic reactions. Be sure to tell your health care provider if you have health problems or known allergies to medications or food.

Severe reactions to vaccines occur so rarely that the risk is difficult to calculate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continually work to make already safe vaccines even safer. In the rare event that a child is injured by a vaccine, he or she may be compensated through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). For more information about VICP visit www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation or call 1-800- 338-2382.

Not vaccinating your child? Be aware of the risks!

Immunizations, like any medication, can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk. It is a decision to put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a disease that could be dangerous or deadly. Consider measles. One out of 30 children with measles gets pneumonia. For every 1,000 children who get the disease, one or two will die from it. Thanks to vaccines, we have few cases of measles in the U.S. today. However, the disease is extremely contagious and each year dozens of cases are imported from abroad into the U.S., threatening the health of people who have not been vaccinated and those for whom the vaccine was not effective. Unvaccinated children are also at risk from meningitis (swelling of the lining of the brain) caused by Hib (a severe bacterial infection), bloodstream infections caused by pneumococcus, deafness caused by mumps, and liver cancer caused by hepatitis B virus.

Are vaccines tested and monitored for safety?

Yes. Before vaccines are licensed, the FDA requires they be extensively tested to ensure safety. This process can take 10 years or longer. Once a vaccine is in use, the CDC and FDA monitor its side effects through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Any hint of a problem with a vaccine prompts further investigations by the CDC and FDA. If researchers find a vaccine may be causing a side effect, the CDC and FDA will initiate actions appropriate to the nature of the problem. This may include the changing of vaccine labels or packaging, distributing safety alerts, inspecting manufacturers’ facilities and records, withdrawing recommendations for the use of the vaccine, or revoking the vaccine’s license. For more information about VAERS, visit www.vaers.hhs.org or call the toll-free VAERS information line at 1-800- 822-7967.

For a quick reference sheet on key vaccine safety elements, an explanation of VAERS, and “what happens when rare, adverse events are detected?”, consult the Surveillance and Vaccine Safety fact sheet.

Who should not be vaccinated?

Some people should not get certain vaccines or should wait to get them. For instance, children with compromised immune systems, as occurs with cancer patients, often need to wait to be vaccinated. Similarly, if a person has had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, she or he should not receive another dose. However, a person with a mild, common illness, such as a cold with a low-grade fever, does not have to wait to be vaccinated. Ask your health care provider for more information.

What should be done if someone has a reaction to a vaccine?

Call a doctor. If the person is having a severe reaction get him or her to a doctor right away. After any reaction, tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given. Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a VAERS form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967.

Tell me more.

Please call the CDC National Immunization Information Hot Line at any time. Also, explore other areas of the CDC’s immunization website www.cdc.gov/nip for the most current and reliable information on vaccine safety.

Vaccine Information You Need

This website is brought to you by the Immunization Action Coalition, a national leader in immunization education. For parents and people of all ages, it provides timely, accurate, and proven information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. Vaccines save lives!

CDC National Immunization Information Hot Line

English: 800-232-2522
Española: 800-232-0233

For more information on vaccines and vaccine safety see:

Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) at https://immunize.org/
National Network for Immunization Information at http://www.immunizationinfo.org/