“Vaccine preventable diseases are still out there,” Florida Department of Health Immunization Program Manager Donna Keith said. She says sometimes parents don’t know where to start.
“That happens quite a bit; we have a lot of people who move in from either out of state or out of country and don’t know what they need, in particular,” Keith said.
Keith says there are two age groups who need to make sure they’re up to date.
“Kids going into kindergarten need a couple of vaccines. They need to get an update of their DTP and Polio, and they also need an update of their MMR and Varicella.”
Students going into seventh grade need an update of their TDaP.
“We also have a couple other important ones for them to get one for meningitis and one that protects against cancer,” Keith said.
If they don’t have them come August 12, they’ll not only get sent home from class, but won’t be able to participate in any sports or other after-school programs.
“A lot of kids end up having to leave the first day and end up in our clinic,” Keith said.
If your student is in high school and was up to date in seventh grade, Keith says they should be fine. If not, the department of health has you covered.
“We’re here everyday and we’re trying very hard to make ourselves available,” Keith said. “We have extra nurses and extra clerks on hand at both our sites.”
They will vaccinate your kids for free.
The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County is even offering extended hours to help you get those shot records up to date. Both the Sarasota clinic on Ringling Blvd. and the North Port clinic on Outreach Way will be open until 6:30 Thursday night.