Health Care Quarterly:

Back-to-school vaccines can save lives; state database can help keep track of records

As school starts back up, it’s a good time for parents to review their child’s immunization record. If you do not have organized vaccine records at home, your first stop online should be Nevada WebIZ, the state database for immunizations. Depending on your child’s age, there may be additional vaccines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

It is recommended that children 11 to 12 years old — so those going into 7th grade — receive three vaccines: Tdap, (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), HPV (human papilloma virus) and meningococcal vaccines. Children are vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) as babies, but immunity starts to wear off as they get older and a booster dose is again needed. Tetanus protects against infection caused by bacteria that may enter the body through cuts in the skin. Diphtheria and pertussis is spread airborne from coughing or sneezing.

Children also should receive the meningococcal vaccine at 11 or 12 years of age, followed up by a booster at age 16. This vaccine helps protect the body against meningitis — bacteria that can infect the fluid and lining around the brain and spinal cord. It can also cause infections of the bloodstream (bacteremia and sepsis). Meningococcal infections spread when people have close or lengthy contact with each other through saliva, like coughing or kissing, or just from living in the same place.

The HPV vaccine protects against infections that can cause a range of cancers and genital warts in both males and females. Depending on when the vaccine series is started it requires either two or three doses to be complete. Starting early — before the age of 15 — is best so that only two doses are required. Rates for starting and completing this vaccine series are extremely low in Nevada compared to the national average and compared to the rates of the other two vaccines we’ve discussed. This is a cancer-preventing vaccine and I strongly recommend it.

Vaccines prevent serious illness and even death from infections. They are extremely important not only to protect the individual receiving the vaccine but also to protect those most vulnerable in our communities, including young infants and others who, for whatever reason, cannot be vaccinated and are unprotected.

Nevada schools require proof that children have received their shots before registering for school, and Smith’s pharmacists provide these vaccines and can also review your child’s vaccine history on the WebIZ state vaccine registry. It’s very convenient — no appointment is necessary. Stop by your local Smith’s Pharmacy and speak with the pharmacist, or visit our website: SmithsFoodAndDrug.com and click on the pharmacy link.

Daniel Heller, Pharm D, is the health and wellness pharmacy practice coordinator for Smith's Food& Drug Stores.

Share