BAY MINETTE, Ala.  — It might seem a little early to be planning for the 2011-12 school year, but Baldwin County Public Schools officials want to be certain parents consider the merits — and necessity — of prevention.

That’s why a gentle reminder has been circulated countywide prompting parents of students age 11 or older entering the sixth grade this fall to be certain their children can prove receipt of the TDaP immunization. The booster protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

“Current immunization records must be presented at registration for a parent to enroll his or her child,” said Baldwin County Public Schools spokesman Terry Wilhite.

The Alabama Department of Public Health establishes immunization guidelines for all students, he said, and the TDaP booster requirement was incorporated at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year.

“Students will not be enrolled in sixth grade without this vaccination. This requirement will escalate by one successive grade each year for the following six years to include sixth through 12th grades, beginning fall of 2016,” Wilhite said.

Parents who face financial difficulty obtaining the proper immunizations can take advantage of ADPH’s Vaccines for Children program, created to “remove vaccine costs as a barrier and in response to the private medical community's vital role in serving the immunizations needs of our youngest citizens.” Information about the program is available at adph.org.

According to the department, children from birth through age 18 are eligible to receive free vaccines through the program if they meet the following criteria:

r Medicaid enrolled

r Uninsured

r American Indian or Alaskan Native

r Underinsured, defined by ADPH as any child whose health insurance coverage does not include vaccine as a covered benefit. In those instances, any federally-qualified health center or rural vaccine clinic can provide the service free of charge.

Although the most recent reminder addresses the TDaP specifically, Wilhite noted all students are required by Alabama law to produce an “original, up-to-date certificate of immunization,” known by most parents and guardians as a “blue card.”

“These certificates may be obtained from your local physician or Baldwin County Health Department in Robertsdale, which can be reached at 251-947-1910,” he said.

Want to learn more? The Alabama Department of Public Health suggests parents visit the following online resources to learn more about immunizations:

r Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), Immunization Division, adph.org/immunization

r Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), cdc.gov/vaccines

r CDC’s Travelers’ Health, cdc.gov/travel/contentVaccinations.aspx

r National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), hhs.gov/nvpo

r Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), immunize.org

r American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), aap.org

r National Network for Immunization Information (NNii), immunizationinfo.org

r The Vaccine Page, vaccines.com

Parents can also call the ADPH Immunization Division at 1-800-469-4599 or the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at 1-800-232-4636.

Why school vaccinations are important:

School vaccinations are designed to prevent the spread of diseases that are vaccine preventable. Vaccines generally have weakened or killed viruses or bacteria that are disease specific. They help your body recognize and fight these specific viruses and bacteria when you come in contact with someone who has the disease.

Changes in Immunization Requirements

A new immunization requirement has been issued for Alabama sixth graders.  Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, a dose of Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) vaccine will be required for Alabama students 11 or 12 years old entering sixth grade.  This requirement will escalate by one successive grade each year, for the following six years old, to include sixth through twelfth grades, beginning fall of 2016

Families relocating to Baldwin County should contact the local health department for vaccinations if they have not been established with a pediatrician at ( 251) 947-6206.

Influenza Immunization Questions

Call the ADPH Immunization Division toll-free at 1-800-469-4599 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Your call will be directed to an ADPH nurse, who will provide flu immunization information.

Source: adph.org/immunization/ or adph.org/IMMUNIZATION/assets/SchoolImmLaw.PDF

— Courtesy of Tracy McDowell, RN BSN, North Baldwin Infirmary Infection Preventionist