With back to school right around the corner, you probably have “visit the pediatrician’s office” on your list of things to do in the next few weeks if your child is going into kindergarten or sixth grade.
That’s because most schools require vaccinations around those ages for your child to be admitted, said Dr. John LaCount, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office.
The biggest push is for kids just entering school, he said.
Vaccinations from birth through 4 years prevent against diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough), both of which have seen a record number of cases in recent years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States saw 667 cases of measles in 2014 ““ the highest number of cases since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. In 2012, 48,277 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States ““ the largest number of cases reported in the United States since 1955.
Click here to download a chart illustrating the vaccinations recommended by the CDC for children ages 0 to 6. (Source: CDC)
Once your child is school-aged, he or she likely won’t need another vaccination until around sixth grade, LaCount said, although an exception to this rule is the flu vaccine, which is required yearly from 6 months on. Another exception is if your family is new to the country or will be traveling out of the country.
Right around sixth grade, though, kids begin to require vaccinations against diseases including tetanus, human papillomavirus and meningitis, LaCount said.
And, tetanus vaccinations are recommended every 10 years, so many people will require another tetanus shot around age 20 or 21, even after they age out of the pediatrician’s office.
Click here for a chart illustrating the vaccinations recommended by the CDC for children ages 7 to 18. (Source: CDC)
The bottom line, LaCount said, is that vaccines are the best way to protect your children from disease, so make sure they’re up to date.
“Despite the controversy around vaccine safety, we try to dissuade families from opting out,” he said. “It’s a combination of herd immunity and individual immunity that keeps these diseases under control.”
