Coastal Health District officials want to remind parents & caregivers of the immunizations school-aged children – especially rising kindergarteners need for the 2015-16 school year.

A summary of Georgia immunization requirements for child care and school attendance can be found by going to www.gachd.org and clicking on the Immunizations and Vaccinations link under the Quick Links menu.

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Public health officials also remind parents that seventh graders are required to have the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) and meningococcal (meningitis) vaccines prior to entering school. Children born on or after January 1, 2002 who are attending seventh grade and new entrants into Georgia schools in grades 8 through 12 must have received one dose of Tdap vaccine and one dose of meningococcal vaccine. (“New entrant” means any child entering any school in Georgia for the first time or entering after having been absent from a Georgia school for more than 12 months or one school year).

Vaccines are safe and effective and help protect children and adults from a host of different diseases including measles, polio, and chickenpox. When students stay healthy they spend more days in school and less time sick at home. In addition, children who are immunized also help prevent the spread of diseases to infants who are too young to get vaccinated and others who may not be able to receive certain vaccines for medical reasons. Vaccinations help children develop immunity to diseases without actually have to suffer through getting the disease.

For more information on vaccines, go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines. Parents with any questions regarding whether or not their children are up-to-date on vaccinations can call their local health department. Visit www.gachd.org for a list of health departments in coastal Georgia.

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Need a pediatrician? Check out SouthernMamas.com Healthcare Providers Page for Savannah pediatricians, pediatric dentists, therapists. Click here. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2015 at 12:57 am and is filed under Health/Safety, Healthcare, Pediatricians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.