Visit Cobb & Douglas Public Health to make sure your child is up-to-date on their vaccines during Georgia Preteen Vaccine Awareness Week, March 13-17, 2017.
Georgia Preteen Vaccine Awareness Week was established by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to help remind parents to talk with their preteens and teens about getting immunized against several vaccine-preventable diseases because a shot only lasts a second; a disease lasts much longer.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health Rule (511-2-2), all students born on or after January 1, 2002, entering or transferring into seventh grade and any “new entrant” into eighth -12th grades in Georgia need proof of an adolescent pertussis (whooping cough) booster vaccination (called “Tdap”) AND an adolescent meningococcal vaccination (MenACWY). This law affects all public and private schools including, but not limited to charter schools, community schools, juvenile court schools and other alternative school settings (excluding homeschool).
“Vaccines continue to be the best defense we have against preventable and sometimes deadly diseases,” said Priti Kolhe, District Immunization Director of Cobb & Douglas Public Health. “I encourage parents to make it a priority to vaccinate their preteens against these diseases.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends the following vaccines for preteens and teens:
• Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap)
• Influenza (flu)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Meningococcal Disease (MenACWY)
Georgia Preteen Vaccine Awareness Week is an opportunity to raise awareness through schools, health care providers and the media regarding preteen immunizations, particularly Georgia’s pertussis and meningococcal requirements for incoming seventh-grade students. Speak with your physician today to find out if your preteen is up-to-date and if not, make a date to vaccinate.
For more information, call: 770-514-2300.