North Central Health District

Is Your Student Up-To-Date On Vaccinations?

Posted July 30, 2015 by NCHD Admin

Summer has come and gone, and now it is time to prepare for the upcoming school year. In addition to  back packs and school supplies,  schools require certain health checks and immunizations be completed  before school begins. Is your child up-to-date on their immunizations needed to enter school?

If you aren’t sure, here are some of the requirements you’ll need to meet in order for your child to be ready for their first day of school:

*If your child is entering school for the first time, they will need to have a completed Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition Screening (Form 3300).  This form can be completed at your local health department.

* For those entering into the seventh grade, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) and meningococcal (meningitis) vaccines are required before starting school. For students born on or after January 1, 2002 who are attending seventh grade and are new entrants into the Georgia schools in grades 8 through 12 must have received one dose of the Tdap vaccine and one dose of the 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).

It is important to follow the recommendations by your school and other professionals. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccines are safe and effective at preventing children, adults and the elderly from a variety of diseases including polio and diphtheria. Immunizations help prevent the spread of disease by building immunities in the body without contracting the disease.

For more information on your local health department or to make an appointment, please look on the main page of the website found here:  North Central Health District