Schools
What Do You Think About Vaccines Being A Requirement to Attend School?
Tdap vaccines will be a requirement for 7th to 12th graders statewide in order to attend public or private schools. What do you think about that?
Above all, parents are concerned with their child’s health and safety, and vaccines can help defend against deadly viruses, but the practice has become quite controversial as some believe vaccines to be potentially harmful to a child's well-being.
Starting July 1, 7th through 12th graders in public and private schools must have a Tdap shot before they return to school in order to protect against whooping cough, or pertussis. Students are already required to have vaccines to fight hepatitis B, measles mumps and the chickenpox in order to attend school.
What do you think about it being a requirement that children receive the vaccine?
Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Tdap is a booster vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
In 2010, pertussis, also known as whooping cough, reached a record 1,144 cases for the county, including two infant deaths. As of June 22, 261 cases have been confirmed in San Diego County in 2011.
Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Please see your family doctor for more information and to have your child receive the vaccine. Vons pharmacy and the can also give your kid the shot, although currently the Health Center is booked for Tdap vaccines until July 22.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, possible side effects of receiving the shot include mild fever and fever-like symptoms or allergic reaction.
Click here for more information on the vaccine.
One vaccination that is not yet required, but many parents are choosing to have administered on their child is the HPV vaccine, also known as Gardasil or Cervarix.
This vaccine, for both boys are girls, is to help protect against the human papillomavirus. According to the CDC, 20 million Americans currently have the virus, with 6 million new infections a year. Half of all sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their lives.
The virus could cause several different cancers as well as genital warts.
Many parents are choosing to take preventative action to have their daughters and sons get the shot, which can be administered at nine-years-old or older for people who have not yet become sexually active.
If you are concerned with side effects, please visit the CDC website.
