Back to School Immunizations
School systems typically require that each student receive mandatory immunizations ("shots") and regular physicals to prevent the spread of many common diseases like chickenpox, measles, mumps and whopping cough. But what shots does your kid need and at what age? The following information can help guide you through the immunizations usually required before sending kids back to school.
TIP: To help make the world of immunizations less confusing:
Immunizations for children 4-6 years
Children entering kindergarten typically need several immunizations to enter school. Prior to starting kindergarten, children ages 4-6 must receive their last round of the following vaccinations:
- DTaP: Prevents a child from getting bacterial infections such as diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.
- MMR: Prevents measles, mumps and rubella.
- IPV: The inactivated polio vaccine prevents poliomyelitis, a disease that leads to the loss of movement.
- Chickenpox: Prevents children from contracting the varicella-zoster virus, commonly known as chickenpox. Children in kindergarten through 3rd grade are required to receive two doses of the chickenpox vaccine.
- In addition, all children 6 months of age and over need flu vaccines. Stay tuned for information about when and where flu vaccine will be available.
Parents can learn more detail about what vaccines their children need and when the doses should be given by reviewing the nationally recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Immunizations for children and teens 7-18 years
For diseases like whooping cough, the protection from vaccine doses received in childhood wears off over time. That's why 11- and 12-year-olds (or those kids entering 6th grade) are required to get the booster shot called Tdap. Teens and adults who have not gotten Tdap should get this booster as soon as possible. Tdap is a version of the DTaP vaccine given to infants and young children. Meningococcal is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended for the 11-12 year-old.
The CDC provides a full immunization schedule for people ages 7 through 18 years to help parents and doctors protect children and teens from vaccine-preventable disease.
Adolescent immunizations
As children move into adolescence, they become at risk for catching diseases like meningitis and human papillomavirus (HPV). Vaccines to prevent these diseases are specifically recommended for children to receive at ages 11 to 12. If kids don't get these vaccines on time, they should get caught up as soon as possible.
Three other vaccines (hepatitis B, varicella, and measles-mumps-rubella) are recommended for adolescents who did not receive them as children. And of course, teens should also get their flu shot! Stay tuned for more information on flu vaccine availability.
Learn more about adolescent vaccines from the CDC.
Why should you get your child immunized?
It's tempting to think that kids don't need to be immunized against diseases we don't often hear about anymore, like polio and measles. But the reason we don't hear much about such diseases is because of widespread immunization against them. Although they occur rarely, most diseases that can be prevented by vaccines still exist in the world, and today's ease of travel means an outbreak could occur anywhere.
The truth is that these diseases still exist and they can make children severely ill - they can even cause deaths in young kids. By getting vaccinated, you are not only protecting your child, you're protecting your community. Do your part to keep kids safe and get your child vaccinated.
Find an immunization clinic near you
There are many low-cost clinics in Colorado. To find the clinic nearest you, call (303)-692-2229 (in the Denver metro area) or 1-(800)-688-7777 (outside of Denver). Download for a list of vaccination clinics in the Denver-Metro area (.pdf).
Additional resources
