Along with backpacks, binders, and pens, keep “pertussis vaccine” at the top of your back-to-school list. If your child will enter grades 7 through 12, you need to provide proof of the shot according to a state law.
Last week, both houses of the state Legislature approved a law that would give parents and students until 30 days after school starts to show proof of vaccination against whooping cough. Without it, they won’t be allowed to stay in school.
The new law actually grants a 30-day extension for the vaccination because an earlier law would have required students to be vaccinated by the first day of school. However, school and health officials found that many students around the state weren’t on track to have the vaccination by the first day of school.
The vaccine requirement aims to prevent another outbreak of pertussis—known as whooping cough—which surged to epidemic proportions in California in 2010. More than 9,000 cases of pertussis were reported in California, the highest number in more than 60 years. In a distinction we could do without, more than half of all pertussis cases in the U.S. occurred in California last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pertussis begins with coldlike symptoms—low fever, runny nose, sneezing and mild cough. The illness progresses to severe fits of coughing that can last for months and that can make breathing difficult. A high-pitched “whoop” follows the paroxysms of coughing. Highly contagious, pertussis was responsible for 10 deaths in California last year; nine of those victims were infants younger than 2 months old.
The required Tdap booster shot protects your child from pertussis, as well as diphtheria and tetanus. Most children had initial Tdap shots before starting school at age 5 or 6. The immunity from these shots wears off after several years, which is why the booster is required now.
Although some school districts are reporting a mad scramble, with more than half of their students still needing the vaccine, Los Alamitos Unified School District is doing much better than that. Nearly 80 percent of students are vaccinated, says Doug Siembieda, director of student support services. He reminds parents of the remaining 20 percent not to wait any longer. “The first reason is the health benefit of having your child vaccinated so they won’t contract pertussis,” he says. “We can’t enroll students who haven’t had the vaccine.” High school students who haven’t submitted proof of the vaccine won’t receive their registration packets in the mail, he notes.
If your child hasn’t had the Tdap booster, there’s still time, but don’t delay. Call your child’s doctor to check on availability of the Tdap booster. Appointments for a shot only are often quicker and easier to get than being seen for illness.
The booster is available at many pharmacies, including Rite Aid at 11172 Los Alamitos Blvd., where the cost is $57. Free Tdap boosters are available through the Orange County Health Care Agency, 1725 W. 17th St. in Santa Ana. Tdap clinics will be held Thursdays from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., and Saturdays, Aug. 13 and Aug. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 800-914-4887 for more information.
Mail a copy of your child’s vaccination record to the Los Alamitos Unified School District, 10293 Bloomfield St., Los Alamitos, 90720. Parents of high school students can also drop off proof of the shot at the Los Alamitos High School front office Monday through Friday.
Siembieda says extra staff will be on hand at high school registration to process vaccination records. But you’ll set a better example for your student if you turn in the paperwork in ahead of time. And your lecture about not waiting until the night before to study for a test or complete a project will carry more weight later on if you model the behavior now.
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