Texas Doctors Remind
Parents About Back-to-School Shots
Aug. 1, 2018
Texas children have a better
likelihood of fighting
off diseases circulating at school if their parents make sure they get their
shots before the first bell rings. Doctors urge parents to follow theCenters
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended school vaccine schedule
to build their child’s immune system against dangerous diseases, reports the
August issue of Texas Medicine magazine.
“School is an easy place for
children to become infected and sick from a number of germs,” said Kim Avila
Edwards, MD, an Austin pediatrician. “Fortunately, we can protect our children
by vaccinating them from many illnesses. In fact, children should receive many
important vaccinations before they reach school age.”
Dr. Avila Edwards recently
worked with TMA on a video highlighting the importance of following Texas'
recommended vaccination schedule from kindergarten to college. The video can be
viewed on the TMA YouTube
channel.
The vaccination schedule,
approved by the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and public
health experts who develop national vaccine guidelines, contains 12 shots that
protect against 16 illnesses. Following the vaccination schedule builds up a
child’s immunity. However, if parents hold off or space out the shots over time
(instead of following physicians’ guidelines), studies show children are vulnerable
to getting sick for a longer period of time.
“As a pediatrician, I have treated children
who are very ill because of vaccine preventable diseases. I would much rather
vaccinate and protect them than to see them suffer from serious illnesses,” said
Dr. Avila Edwards.
Immunizing children protects
them from diseases that could make them very ill or even threaten their lives,
and reduces the likelihood they’ll pass a disease to someone else who cannot be
vaccinated or who cannot fight infections.
Children should get these disease-preventing
vaccinations at several intervals in their lives, starting very young.
“All Texas public schools,
most private schools, and colleges require certain shots before kids start
kindergarten, seventh grade, and the freshman year of college,” she said in the video. “Check
with your doctor before classes start to make sure your child’s vaccines are
current.”
Below
are the required vaccinations to enroll in a Texas school, and additional
recommended vaccinations. The full vaccination schedule is featured in a recent
Texas
Medicine article on the TMA
website.
Entering Kindergarten
and 6th Grade
- Required
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis
Polio
Pneumococcal
Measles-Mumps-Rubella
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Varicella (chicken pox)
- Recommended
Flu (yearly, starting at 6 months)
Seventh
through 12th grade
- Required
Meningococcal
Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap)
- Recommended
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
Flu
College
- Required
Meningococcal (for admission to
college)
- Recommended
HPV
Flu
Meningococcal B (talk to your doctor
to see if you need this vaccination)
This release is part of a
monthly TMA series highlighting contagious diseases that childhood and adult vaccinations
can prevent. TMA designed the series to inform patients of the facts about
these diseases, and to help them understand the benefits of vaccinations to
prevent illness. Visit the TMA website to see efforts
to raise immunization awareness and how funding is used to
increase vaccination rates.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing
more than 51,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin
and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key
objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Contact:
Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus Cooper (512)
370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
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