It is back-to school season. It’s time to get school supplies and backpacks ready for the new school year. This is also a great time to ensure your children are current on their school supplies. vaccines.
Parents can help their children get all the recommended vaccines according to CDC’s immunization schedule. This is one of the best things they can do for their health and the health of their classmates and the entire community. Schools require students to have all required vaccinations in order to ensure the health of their classmates.
Today’s vaccines for children protect against serious, potentially life-threatening diseases like polio, measles and whooping cough.
“Thanks to vaccines, most of these diseases have become rare in the United States,”Anne Schuchat, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: “But many still exist here, and they can make children very sick, leading to many days of missed school, missed work for parents, and even hospitalization and death.”
More than 200 measles cases in the U.S. were reported in 2011. There were approximately 27,550 cases (pertussis) of whooping cough in 2010, and 25 deaths. “Without vaccines, these numbers would be much, much higher,”Dr. Schuchat spoke. “That’s why kids still need vaccines.”
Children who aren’t vaccinated can be at higher risk for developing disease. They also have the potential to spread diseases to other children in their community, including to babies who are too young or people with weak immune systems.
School-age children need vaccines. Children aged 4-6 years are eligible for boosters of the following vaccines: DTaP, diphtheria and tetanus and pertussis, chickenpox and MMR (measles. mumps. and rubella) and polio. Pre-teens and teenagers need Tdap (tetanus and diphtheria and pertussis), HPV, meningococcal conjugate viruses (MCV) vaccines, and HPV (humanpapillomavirus). All children aged 6 months or older should receive yearly flu shots.
Talk to your doctor about the vaccines that are recommended for your child.
Learn more from parents about the recommended immunizations schedule here www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents.
