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.