- Required Immunizations for Oregon Public Schools
- Preparing your child for the upcoming school year includes more than just new clothes and school supplies. There are eight required immunizations for Oregon public schools, according to Oregon.gov, but your child doesn’t have to receive them all at once. Both age and grade are important to note when learning about which immunizations your child needs before school starts.
Which Immunizations are Required for Public School in Oregon?
Immunization Requirements for Children 2 months to Pre-Kindergarten
At least one dose from seven of the eight immunizations your child needs to attend an Oregon public school comes before they start pre-kindergarten. Your child’s specific dosage depends on their age and is a detail your local pharmacist can go over with you.
Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis
Also known as DTaP, this immunization protects your child from:
- Diphtheria: throat infection that can block the airway and lead to serious breathing problems
- Tetanus: nerve disease that happens when a toxin-producing bacteria contaminates a wound; also known as lockjaw
- Pertussis: respiratory sickness that causes severe coughing and is especially serious for children under one; also known as whooping cough
Thanks to the DTaP immunization, close to all children don’t have to worry about either diphtheria or tetanus, and pertussis is significantly less common among children than it once was, according to KidsHealth.
Polio
Polio paralyzes parts of the body by infecting a person’s brain and spinal cord, but fortunately, the inactivated polio vaccine, or IPV, prevents polio. IPV is the only polio immunization the United States has administered since 2000, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Depending on your child’s age, they’ll either receive the immunization in their arm or leg.
Varicella
The varicella immunization, more commonly known as the chickenpox vaccine, fights the varicella-zoster virus, which is the virus responsible for chickenpox. According to WebMD, the varicella immunization is why chickenpox is no longer a very serious, even deadly, disease. Your child receiving this immunization is important because if they get chickenpox with the immunization, they’ll have a much milder case.
Measles/Mumps/Rubella
The measles, mumps and rubella immunization, also known as MMR, will protect your child from these three illnesses. According to the CDC, this immunization stops these three diseases from leading to:
- Pneumonia
- Brain damage
- Death
- Swollen testicles or ovaries
- And more
Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B immunization will protect your child from a serious liver infection the hepatitis B virus can cause. Hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer across the world, according to the Hepatitis B Foundation, which makes this immunization that much more important for your child to receive.
Hepatitis A
Similar to the hepatitis B immunization, the hepatitis A immunization also fights against a serious liver infection the hepatitis A virus can lead to. Instead of transmitting through blood like hepatitis B, hepatitis A spreads through feces or contaminated food or water, according to the Hepatitis B Foundation. No matter what your child may get into, their health is safer at school with the hepatitis A immunization.
Hib
Haemophilus influenzae type B disease, or Hib for short, is a bacterial disease that can result in a deadly brain infection, particularly in children. However, over 99 percent of Hib cases have dropped since 1991 because of the Hib immunization, according to HHS.gov. Receiving this immunization before going to school in Oregon will protect your child from Hib in their childhood and adulthood.
Immunization Requirements for Children Kindergarten to 12th Grade
If your child is in this age group, they’ll need each immunization children two months old to pre-kindergarten need plus the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis immunization, also known as Tdap. Tdap protects your child against the same diseases as DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) but is necessary because it immunizes them from their adolescence through adulthood, according to WebMD.
Immunization is a Requirement for an Oregon Public School Education
Your child’s health and education depend on them receiving these immunizations. Before they go back to school, make sure their immunizations meet Oregon public schools’ requirements. Remember that Myrtle Drugs’ Douglas County and Roseburg pharmacies will be here all summer to tell you and your child more about these required immunizations!
Have a question about the required immunizations for your child? Contact Myrtle Drugs, your Myrtle Creek immunization pharmacy, today.