COLDWATER — Immunizations, a hot topic for many parents, is on the forefront of minds as the 2017-18 school year is about to begin.
“Preschoolers to college students need vaccinations,” Dr. H. Lauren Vogel, D.O., Medical Director for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency said. “Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. The same germs exist today, but because babies are protected by vaccines, we don’t see these diseases nearly as often.”
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, students entering kindergarten or seventh grade, or those changing school districts, must have two doses of the varicella vaccine or history of chicken pox.
Students ages 11 to 18 who change school districts or are enrolled in the seventh grade should have one dose of meningococcal (MCV4 or MPSV4) vaccine and one dose of tetanus/diphtheria/acellular pertussis (TDAP) vaccine.
Michigan state law also allows parents to provide the district in which their student(s) will be enrolled a waiver if they choose to opt out of immunizations for their children due of religious beliefs or other objections. Such statements must be submitted before school admittance.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as of February, 93.7 percent of Branch County students in kindergarten through seventh grade have completed their currently required immunizations. A total of 1.6 percent have waived immunizations.
Branch County ranks seventh in Michigan counties for the number of waivers received. The Michigan average for waived immunizations is 3.2 percent.
With a number of children not being immunized over the years, diseases that the health department refers to as vaccine-preventable, are once again being reported in tri-county area.
“By ensuring that parents have the opportunity to address and discuss concerns with their local health department, we’re providing parents with knowledge they can use when making a decision about vaccinating their child,” Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said. “Michigan’s local health departments have been instrumental in working with and educating parents who have had concerns about vaccines, and I applaud them for their understanding, assistance and dedication.”
For more information, contact the Branch-Hillsdale- St. Joseph Community Health Agency at (517) 279-9561 or a family physician.