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With school starting up again soon, health officials say now is good time to understand which vaccines are required, where to get affordable shots and why childhood immunizations are important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n
As Texas families prepare for the new school year, parents might be checking vaccination records<\/a>, scheduling doctor’s appointments or weighing whether to seek an exemption. Health officials say it’s also a good time to understand which vaccines are required, where to get affordable shots and why childhood immunizations remain important as diseases such as measles and whooping cough have resurfaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n Skipping vaccines “leaves a child susceptible to illnesses that can be quite severe and lead to hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Natalie\u00a0Tarrant, an Austin pediatrician with Texas Children’s Pediatrics. “That’s our goal: To make them healthy with no long-term complications.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n People have forgotten about the dangers of these diseases because vaccines have been so successful, she said. While diseases like measles, polio,\u00a0pertussis (whooping cough), and mumps continue to have outbreaks after almost being eradicated because vaccination levels have gone down, most people haven’t seen someone with active polio or measles recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tarrant said while she’s never seen a case of measles in her career because of the success of vaccinations, “I know enough about measles to be afraid of measles.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Almost all of these vaccine-preventable diseases can cause death or affect a child’s future quality of life:<\/p>\n Diphtheria: Damage to the heart, kidneys and nerves. Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “These are serious diseases,” said Stephanie\u00a0Helfman, an epidemiologist with Austin Public Health. “We do not want our children to experience that.”<\/p>\n Vaccines aren’t just about you<\/p>\n Vaccines also protect people who cannot be vaccinated, such as children undergoing cancer treatments or newborns who are too young to be vaccinated. The goal for “herd immunity” is to have at least 95% vaccination coverage within a community for each disease to prevent an outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n You can look up your county, school district or private school\u2019s vaccination rates at\u00a0dshs.texas.gov\/immunizations\/data\/school<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n OPINION: CDC vaccine changes sow confusion \u2014 and risk \u2014 for Texas kids<\/a><\/p>\n What vaccines are required to go to school?<\/p>\n Your child’s vaccine record gets checked when entering kindergarten and again in seventh grade. Then, if they go off to college, the record might get checked again depending on the state and the school’s requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Texas vaccination requirements are different from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended vaccine schedule, which most pediatricians use. The state’s list represents the minimum requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By kindergarten, kids must have:<\/p>\n Four or five doses of diphtheria\/tetanus\/pertussis, depending on which version of the vaccine they received By seventh grade, they must have all of the above, plus:<\/p>\n A recent diphtheria, tetanus and\u00a0pertussis vaccine within the past five years Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By eighth grade and through high school, all of the above, plus:<\/p>\n A recent diphtheria, tetanus and\u00a0pertussis vaccine in the previous 10 years<\/p>\n Proof of receiving a meningococcal vaccination or a booster in the past five years and at least 10 days before the semester starts, the student is 22 or older, enrolled in online courses or qualifies for another limited exemption<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Where can I get affordable vaccines?<\/p>\n If you don’t have insurance or cannot afford copays or deductibles, Austin Public Health offers vaccines on a sliding scale. “We never turn anyone away,” Helfman said.<\/p>\n Schedule an appointment by calling 512-972-5520 or online at\u00a0austintexas.gov\/health\/programs\/immunizations<\/a>. Information about mobile clinics also is available there. Some of those mobile clinics will be set up at local schools, Helfman said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nTetanus: Lockjaw and stiff muscles that make eating difficult and inability to move
\nPertussis: Death in babies
\nVaricella (chicken pox): Shingles later in life with a very painful rash that can affect the nervous system
\nMumps: Swelling of the testicles causing infertility, painful swollen jaw making eating difficult, brain inflammation, hearing loss
\nMeasles: Brain swelling years later and inability to fight infections
\nRubella: Birth defects in babies, learning disabilities, bleeding problems, brain swelling and hearing loss
\nHepatitis: Liver failure and liver cancer
\nMeningococcal: Hearing and vision loss, limb and finger amputation and intellectual disabilities
\nHPV: Cervical and head and neck cancers<\/p>\n
\nThree or four doses of polio
\nTwo doses of measles, mumps and rubella (German measles)
\nThree doses of hepatitis B
\nTwo doses of\u00a0varicella (chicken pox)\u00a0
\nTwo doses of hepatitis A<\/p>\n
\nA\u00a0meningoccocal vaccine covering four types of meningitis-causing bacteria<\/p>\n