Whooping cough vaccine deadline extended
Students in grades 7-12 have 30 days from school’s start to get booster
Published: July 19, 2011
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial illness spread by coughing and sneezing. Vaccination is the best defense. After the deaths of several infants and thousands of new cases of whooping cough last year, the California Department of Public Health last summer warned that the outbreak was the worst in more than 50 years and recommended that all Californians make sure that they are fully immunized.
Children need to receive five doses of whooping cough vaccine by the time they enter kindergarten, along with a booster by age 11. Existing law requires students entering grades seven through 12 this fall to show proof they have received the booster. Adults too are recommended to have the vaccine booster, as they are susceptible to infection from children in their care and can spread the disease easily if not protected.
Schools and local health agencies have had six months to notify parents that their children needed to be immunized, but there is evidence that many middle- and high-school students have not had the required booster.
A recent national survey by the Association of School Business Officials revealed some districts have compliance rates as low as 20 percent, indicating that thousands of incoming students may not have had the required shot before the start of the 2011-12 school year in August or September. Turning away those students until they are immunized would disrupt their education as well as cost schools much-needed funding, yet allowing parents to sign waivers could result in many children never being fully immunized.
To give families a bit more time to provide the district with their vaccination record, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 614 by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, allowing unvaccinated students to attend classes for 30 days after their school year starts. That gives school boards and administrators one last chance to inform families of the requirement and encourage the children’s parents to get the booster shots and required documentation.
“Allowing student attendance in this period will facilitate faster immunizations as school agencies work with affected families to ensure they have the information they need to access the immunizations, especially among our most disadvantaged populations,” CSBA Senior Legislative Advocate Debra Brown wrote in a letter of support for the emergency measure.
School boards and administrators can find sample parent notification letters and fliers, as well as more information about whooping cough and its effects, at the links listed below.
Easy links:
Whooping cough resources:
• California Department of Public Health
• California Department of Education