NEW IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007
Rome, GA: New state immunization requirements to help protect children from
preventable childhood diseases have been announced, according to Northwest
Georgia Public Health Immunization Coordinator Marie Smith. The new
requirements go into effect July 1, 2007 and include two new required vaccines
and additional doses of two existing required vaccines, according to Smith.
TWO NEW VACCINE REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN AGE 5 AND UNDER
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), which helps protect against bacterial
diseases that can cause serious illness, including meningitis, will be required for
all children less than 5 years of age who are attending childcare facilities, Head
Start or Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs. Hepatitis A vaccine, which helps
protect children against a serious form of liver disease caused by the hepatitis A
virus, is required for all children born on or after January 1, 2006 and who are
enrolled in any school, childcare facility, Head Start or Pre-K program.
Laboratory proof of immunity will be accepted in lieu of the hepatitis A vaccine
requirement.
ADDITIONAL DOSES ADDED FOR KINDERGARTEN, 6TH GRADE AND NEW
ENTRANTS TO GEORGIA SCHOOLS
Children entering Kindergarten, 6th Grade and new entrants into any grade K
through 12 must have two doses of measles vaccine, two doses of mumps vaccine
and one dose of rubella vaccine or laboratory proof of immunity against measles,
mumps, or rubella. These children must also have two doses of varicella (chicken
pox) vaccine or documentation of disease or laboratory proof of immunity. At thetime your child entered school, only one dose of this vaccine was required. A
new entrant is defined as any child entering any school or facility in Georgia for
the first time or after having been absent from a Georgia facility for more than 12
months or one school year.
“With the addition of the pneumoccal conjugate vaccine (PCV), which helps
protect against serious bacterial illness, and the Hepatitis A vaccine, which helps
protect children against a serious form of liver disease caused by the HEP A
virus, Georgia’s children are becoming better protected from those health risks,”
Smith said. “The addition of the booster doses for mumps and varicella (chicken
pox) for kindergarten and 6th graders will help to assure continued immunity
from those diseases as well.”
Contact your health care provider or the Chattooga County Health Department at
706-857—3471 to receive any needed vaccinations, to obtain the Georgia
Certificate of Immunization or for more information about immunizations.
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