Health departments offering immunizations for students

The Kay County Health Department will be holding an immunization clinic in Ponca City at 433 Fairview from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, July 30, and in Blackwell at 1706 S Main from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2.

Getting all of the recommended vaccines is important for children of all ages, especially when they are entering a school or a child care center where disease outbreaks can occur.

“Getting children all of the vaccines recommended by CDC’s immunization schedule is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure a healthy future for their child,” said Kelli Rader, Regional Director. “If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to check with your doctor to find out what vaccines your child needs.”

Child care facilities, preschool programs, schools and colleges are all at risk for outbreaks of infectious diseases. Children can easily transmit illnesses to one another due to poor hand washing, uncovered coughs, close contact with people and other factors.

When children aren’t vaccinated, they are at increased risk of many illnesses prevented by vaccination and can spread disease to others in their classrooms and communities. This includes babies too young to be fully vaccinated and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.

Oklahoma law requires children to be up to date on vaccinations before enrolling or starting childcare or school in order to protect the health of all students. A schedule showing the vaccines required for childcare attendance is available on the OSDH web site at:  http://go.usa.gov/x4PkB

Kindergarten Students
Children entering kindergarten are due for booster doses of the following vaccines: 
MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella)
Polio
DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis)
Chickenpox

Children who recently moved to Oklahoma may need hepatitis A vaccination. Hepatitis A vaccine, which is required for students in all grades in Oklahoma, is not required in some other states. Students need at least one dose of hepatitis A vaccine to start school. A second dose is due six to 18 months later.

Grades 7-11
Students in grades seven through 11 are required to have one dose of Tdap vaccine.
Older students are strongly two vaccines recommended for all pre-teens at 11-12 years of age: HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine and MCV (meningococcal conjugate vaccine). 

For more information on back-to-school vaccinations, contact the Kay County Health Department in Ponca City at (580) 762-1641 or Kay County Health Department in Blackwell at (580) 363-5520.