| Back
to School Vaccines
As
our nation prepares for “Back to School” time, there is one
school supply parents and children cannot go without: vaccinations.
Taking your child to a doctor’s office isn’t the easiest thing
to do, but it could save his or her life. In many states, the
law requires a certain number of doses of mandated vaccines
before the first day of classes.
The
vaccines often required for school entrance include diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella.
With the first day of class just days away, parents are lining
up their children for shots, and some have questions and concerns
about the necessity and safety of them.
“Many
parents are concerned about their children going to school
and possibly catching something from another student who didn’t
get their shots,” says Gary Wallach, Director of the National
Immunization Information Hotline for the U.S. Centers of Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). “Vaccinations help prevent diseases
that, if left untreated, could be deadly.”
Despite
the repercussions of possible mild side effects, such as fever,
soreness, rash, and redness, and the long faces that accompany
a trip to the doctor’s office for shots, immunizations are
important for school-aged children. However, most parents do
not know of many of the immunization requirements, or the mild
side effects involved, and need information in making decisions
that affect their child’s health. The National Immunization
Information Hotline (NIIH) is available to provide such information.#
ýhis
service is available to all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the U.S. Territories,
Monday—Friday, 8AM-11PM via toll-free hotlines. Services
are offered in English (800.232.2522), Spanish (800.232.0233),
and TTY (800.243.7889) for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Information can be found at www.vaccines.ashastd.org.
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
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