View full sizeEighth-graders are required to provide proof of certain vaccinations at the start of school this year.Parents of young children are used to seeing vaccines on their kindergartner's back-to-school checklist. But when it comes to teen immunization requirements, health officials say middle-school parents need a bit more encouragement.
Last year, the state of Ohio began requiring new seventh-graders to show proof of a recent tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) or tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot before they began the school year. Those who failed to do so within the first 15 days of school could be subject to dismissal until they submit an exemption letter or an updated immunization record.
But it seems many families didn't get the message, said Cuyahoga County Vaccine Services Supervisor Cindy Modie.
"Last year we heard from school nurses that well after the deadline they still had large numbers of [seventh graders] who had not been vaccinated," Modie said.
The challenge will be even greater this year as the requirements now also include eighth graders who may have missed last year's deadline or recently moved into the state. Eventually, Modie said the requirements will affect all incoming middle and high school students who were not inocculated.
County vaccine clinics available
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health will hold three walk-in vaccine clinics in the next few weeks for children up to age 18. The vaccines come with $12 administrative fee per shot, but county officials say no child will be turned away for an inability to pay.
The clinics will be held at 9 -11 a.m., 1-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25; Monday, Aug. 29; and Monday, Sept. 12 at 5550 Venture Drive, Parma,
Families also can set up appointments for alternative dates and locations by calling the county at 216-201-2041.
Tetanus, better known as lockjaw, is a potentially deadly disease caused by bacteria in the soil entering the body through an open wound. Lockjaw derives its name from its characteristic painful tightening of the muscles all over the body.
While there are several types of tetanus vaccines available, single-dose Tdap is the form recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for students age 11 to 18 who completed their preschool tetanus regimen between ages 4 and 6.
Unlike the Td vaccine, which only protects against tetanus and diphtheria, the Tdap booster also protects against pertussis, or whooping cough, which remains poorly controlled in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of reported cases of whooping cough in the United States has been steadily increasing since the 1980s, particularly among teens and adults. Yet only 56 percent of U.S. teens and less than 6 percent of adults have been vaccinated against the disease.
"Many adolescents do not make it to the doctor unless they're really ill, so it's a lot harder to get them vaccinated compared to younger children" Modie said.
"But parents need to realize that [with pertussis] they're also putting immune-compromised people around them at risk. It's not only that you're protecting your child, you're protecting the health of your community."
While Td or Tdap is the only adolescent vaccine currently required by the state of Ohio to attend school, Modie said that there are many essential shots for good teen health, including hepatitis A, meningitis, chickenpox booster and HPV vaccines.
"We think of teens as having few health needs, but it's really an opportunity to immunize them for a healthy adulthood," Modie said.