IMMUNIZATIONS
Probably one of the greatest innovations of modern medicine is the vaccine. Vaccines protect us against deadly diseases like measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough. Without vaccines, millions of children and adults worldwide may have lost their lives to diseases that we now know are preventable.
Why immunize your child?
The decision to immunize your child is a critical one, because vaccines are the single most effective protection against diseases that threaten our children. If you choose not to immunize your child, it's not only a risk for your child, but for other children in the community. By maintaining our current level of immunity we are still able to hinder infectious diseases. When there are children in the community who are not immunized they are able to pass on viruses and bacteria from person to person, school to school, and from home to home.
Because of the effectiveness of modern vaccines and the increase of "community immunity", we as a society have become ignorant of the fact that disease like polio, diphtheria, and mumps still exist in the world today. But in fact they do - and thousands of children suffer needlessly every year because they of these diseases. Because immunization efforts in the United States have been enormously successful, we have been able to prevent deadly epidemics that have plagued us in the past. However, we must keep in mind that most of these deadly diseases are only a plane ride away, and are being brought into this country on a daily basis by world travelers and immigrants.
Regular checkups with your child's physician are an important way to keep your child healthy and to learn about new vaccines that are increasingly becoming available. As advances are made in the field of immunology, we are now able to protect our children against diseases such as Hepatitis A & B.
If you don't have a family physician or pediatrician, call your local health department. Public Health clinics usually have supplies of vaccines.
Starting in the school year 2001, Independent School District 112 began enforcing the "No Shots, No School" policy.
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How does this new policy affect my child?
What this means is that students who are not up to date on their immunizations will not be allowed to start school until they receive the proper booster shots and provide the school with documentation of these vaccines. Parents may choose to decline immunizations for their child by getting a legal exemption from Minnesota school law for medical reasons or conscientiously held beliefs.
What vaccines does my child need?
Besides the routine childhood vaccines of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, haemophilus, and hepatitis B, varicella immunizations are now being required by state law for students to enter into school.
- Minnesota law requires all children entering into kindergarten to show proof of the varicella vaccine or of the chickenpox disease. The second MMR immunization is now required for kindergarten entrance.
- All students entering 7th grade must show proof of the varicella vaccine or of the chickenpox disease, or they will not be allowed to start school. State law also requires proof of the TD (tetanus-diphtheria) booster vaccine and the Hepatitis B immunization series.
District #112 now participates in MIIC (Minnesota Immunization Information Connection), a statewide registry for immunizations. This secured system allows clinics, physician's offices and schools to share immunization data. Please call your school nurse if you have any questions.
If you have any questions regarding your child's vaccines please contact your physician or the school nurse 952-934-6003 x305 or email nurse@sthubert.org
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