What Are The Risks From Meningococcal Vaccines
Most people have mild side effects from the vaccine, such as redness or pain where the shot was given. A vaccine, like any medicine, may cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. This risk is extremely small. Getting the meningococcal vaccine is much safer than getting the disease.
You can learn more on the Vaccine Information Statements for meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B.
What Vaccines Do I Need Before I Travel
- You should be up to date on your routine vaccines. Depending on where you travel, you may come into contact with diseases that are rare in the United States. For example, although measles is rare in the United States, it is more common in other countries. Measles outbreaks happen frequently in many popular destinations in Europe and beyonddont go unprotected!
- You may need other vaccines before you travel depending on your destination, your medical history, your planned activities, and other health concerns. Discuss your itinerary with your health care provider to make sure you get any destination-specific vaccines and medicines, such as yellow fever vaccine or medicine to prevent malaria.
How Far Ahead Should I Get Any Needed Travel Vaccines
You should make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist or your health care provider ideally at least a month before your trip to get needed vaccines and medicines. Even if youre a last-minute traveler, there may be options for getting the vaccines and medicines you need.
If you need a yellow fever vaccine, keep in mind that it is currently available only at a limited number of clinics in theUnited States.The nearest yellow fever vaccination clinic may be some distance away from where you live, and appointments may be limited. Find the nearest clinic and contact it ahead of time to make sure it has the vaccine.
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Covid Vaccine On Campus
During the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak many colleges moved to online college classes. As states reopen, universities are welcoming students back on campus. Some schools require that students receive the vaccine before resuming regular classes. Students should research their current school policies on the COVID vaccine.
Currently, there are three different vaccines available. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna both require two doses to be considered fully vaccinated. The Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine has resumed in the United States and requires one dose. Below are three vaccine finders that allow students to locate vaccination sites. Students should also look for their state specific vaccine finder.
A Full List Of Colleges Requiring The Covid
- University of Alaska at Anchorage
Arizona
- California College of the Arts
- California Instititute of the Arts
- California Institute of Integral Studies
- California Institute of Technology
- California Lutheran University
- California State University system
- Bakersfield, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Channel Islands, Chico State, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno State, Fullerton, Humboldt State, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Maritime Academy, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Sacramento State, San Bernardino, San Diego State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, San Marcos, Sonoma State, Stanislaus State
Florida
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How Long Does Immunity From Travel Vaccines Last
How long travel vaccines last depends on the vaccine. If you’re traveling outside the United States, you should see a health care provider who is familiar with travel medicine to talk about your upcoming trip. He or she will be able to provide you with advice for any vaccines and vaccine boosters based upon where you are going and when you got your previous vaccinations. Be sure to bring your vaccine records to your appointment!
What Shots Do Puppies Need
When planning your dog’s vaccines, keep in mind that scheduling new puppy shots is not done on a one-size-fits-all basis. You and your veterinarian will work out a schedule that works best for your puppy, taking into consideration his age, health, lifestyle and other factors. Here are some of the most common vaccines puppies will be expected to receive.
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Is Your Teen Planning To Travel
Does your teen have an opportunity for travel outside the United States?
Plan four to six weeks before your trip. You may need this much time to complete a vaccine series, and your body needs time to build up immunity. Be sure to find out vaccine recommendations and requirements for your travel destination.
For Conscience Or Religious Belief
For your child to be exempted due to conscience or religious belief, you must contact your local public health unit:
- Let your local public health unit know you wish to have your child exempted from the required vaccines.
- The PHU will:
- advise you on the steps to take in completing a valid exemption, including watching the vaccine education video.
Once its complete, you must get it signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario.
Make copies of your:
- signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form
You will need to submit the original versions.
It is important that you keep your copies because the ministry and local public health units do not keep records of your exemption documents.
Submit the original copies of your Vaccine Education Certificate and signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form to your local public health unit. Contact them to find out how.
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The Vaccines Your Child Needs Before Heading To College
College-bound students are about to make the transition to adulthood, but that doesnt mean that theyre done with vaccines. In fact, lifestyle changes and dormitory living can put them at higher risk for certain infections.
Heres a list of vaccines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for young adults before they go off to college:
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine: Not only does the CDC recommend that students get vaccinated against meningococcal disease before starting college, some states make the shot mandatory.
Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis, or a swelling of the membranes that cover the brain or spinal cord. The bacteria that cause the disease can spread from person to person, and the illness can be life-threatening.
People living in close quarters, including college dorms, are at higher risk for becoming infected with meningococcal disease. Outbreaks of the disease have been reported on college campuses over the past several years, the CDC said. For this reason, the agency recommends that the vaccine be given to first-year college students.
Whooping cough vaccine booster: Adolescents should get a whooping cough vaccine booster shot when they are 11 to 12 years old. Anyone who didnt should get one dose of Tdap before college, the CDC said.
College students may need additional vaccines for foreign travel. You can check the CDC website to see which vaccines are needed before visiting certain countries.
Staying Updated On Vaccinations On Campus
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Vaccines For Adults 60 Years Of Age And Older
Some vaccine preventable disease are more common with age, as our immune system may not respond as well as we get older. This puts us at a greater risk for certain diseases, including:
- flu
- pneumococcal disease
The flu is more likely to cause severe illness and even death in older adults.
It’s also important to make sure routine vaccines are up to date for diseases such as:
- diphtheria
- whooping cough
Vaccines For People Who Could Become Pregnant
Vaccination is important for everyone of reproductive age, whether planning a pregnancy or not.
During pregnancy, your immune system changes and this can put you at risk for a number of serious infectious diseases and complications. Your baby can also be affected by these infections, which can result in:
- birth defects
- miscarriage
- death
Since an unplanned pregnancy can happen, it’s important to keep your vaccinations up to date at all times. This will help protect you and your baby from certain infections that could cause serious complications. Talk to your health care provider about your vaccination status.
Learn more about vaccination and pregnancy.
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What Vaccines Does My Child Need To Start School
With the start of a new school year, many parents are searching for vaccination records and hoping they’re current, but what does “up-to-date” look like these days?
That depends on whether it’s what the school requires or what pediatric experts recommend.
“Not all vaccines that we recommend on the schedule are required by schools,” said Wendy Sue Swanson, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “But schools help us keep up-to-date and have an annual assessment” of vaccine status.
Swanson explained that during childhood, three key school transitions coincide with vaccine schedules. The first, she said, is when a child enters kindergarten. Then, “typically, at sixth grade, we refresh again. And there are updates that we provide kids at the end of high school as get they ready to go to college,” she added.
Each of these turning points usually means exposure to a new population of students. For kindergartners, said Swanson, schools usually require being up-to-date on all doses of DTaP , and on the varicella , polio and measles/mumps/rubella vaccine series.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists five recommended shots in the DTaP series by age 4 to 6, four for polio by age 4 to 6, two for MMR by age 4 to 6, and one for chicken pox.
Another vaccine that’s not required at this age for school entry but that Swanson and other pediatricians recommend is the vaccine against HPV . This virus can cause cancers of the tissues it infects.
School And Camp Requirements
- The Immunization Requirements for School Entry resource outlines the required vaccines by child care/preschool, grades K-6, grades 7-12, and college. While MDPH outlines the required vaccines, local school districts are responsible for ensuring compliance to the stated requirements.
- The 2020-21 school year included the addition of new immunization requirements for meningococcal vaccine for school entry. Phase in of this requirement continues. The flyer, New Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine Requirement for School Entry, answers frequently asked questions about the new requirement.
- Camp directors and parents sending their children to camp may refer to the memo, Required Immunizations for Children Attending Camp for immunization requirements and recommendations for children attending camp.
- The regulation pertaining to school immunization is 105 CMR 220.000 – Immunization of Students Before Admission to School.
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Children In Licensed Daycare Centres
If you want your child to attend daycare, and decide not to vaccinate them due to medical, religious or philosophical reasons, you will need to give your daycare a valid written exemption. If the disease appears in your childs daycare centre, your child may have to stay out of daycare until the disease is no longer present.
If Your Child Is Behind Schedule
If your child is currently behind on the standard immunization schedule, it is not too late to catch up. Talk with your childs healthcare provider or pediatrician about an alternate vaccine schedule to help them catch up. This will be especially important to address before your child goes to college.
Childhood vaccines can begin at any age, and boosters will be given according to the CDCs catch-up immunization schedule. For example, if your child did not receive the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12, they can receive three doses given over six months when they are older.
Its important to note that some states vary in their vaccine requirements for students. If your child is headed to college soon, check with the schools admissions department about vaccine requirements.
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Students Not Meeting School Requirements By County
Policies on exclusion from school are developed and enforced at the local level. Many school districts allow students on a catch-up schedule to attend classes. Other school districts allow students to attend classes while awaiting updated immunization documentation. Beginning in 2016, the Immunization Division calculated the number of students that do not meet school requirements , and this number is often referred to as the gap. Students counted in the gap might be appropriately immunized, but the school lacks proper documentation of all received immunizations. However, in the event of a case of vaccine-preventable disease in the school setting, these students would also be subject to exclusion from school due to lack of documentation of immunity. The greater the percentage of the gap, the more significant the potential burden on schools and the community, should those students face exclusion during a breakout.
Immunization requirements are enforced by the grade the student is entering parents can do their part to make sure their children are appropriately immunized for their grade level, and that updated immunization records are on file with the school nurse.
Herd Immunity And Importance Of Vaccines
Vaccines are one of the great public health advances of the 20th century, and prevent hundreds of thousands of illnesses in the U.S. every year. Vaccines protect both the person vaccinated and those around them from serious diseases, a concept known as herd immunity. Herd immunity protects other members of the community, such as babies too young to be vaccinated or those who cannot receive immunizations because of a medical condition.
- The FRED Measles Epidemic Simulator shows the impact on how low immunization rates for measles can result in large measles epidemics.
- Parents and caregivers should visit the CDC page, Vaccine Information for Parents, to learn more about childhood vaccines and the recommended immunization schedule.
- Students should be vaccinated according to the recommended immunization schedule. The CDC Immunization Schedules in Easy to Read Format show when children should get recommended vaccines.
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Need Travel Vaccines Plan Ahead
Vaccines protect travelers from getting diseases abroad that may not normally be found in the United States.
Visiting another country can put you at risk for diseases that may not normally be found in the United States. Getting vaccinated against certain diseases is one of the most effective things you can do to protect your health abroad. Plan to get the travel vaccines you need at least a month before your trip. Most vaccines need to be given ahead of time to give you full protection against a disease. If you need a yellow fever vaccine, plan to travel some distance away from where you live to get it. Only a limited number of clinics have the vaccine.
Requesting An Exemption For Medical Reasons Or Reasons Of Conscience
Students are encouraged to receive the meningitis vaccination because of the higher prevalence of this serious infection in adolescents and young adults. However, a student or the parent or guardian of a student may decline the meningitis vaccination for medical reasons, or for reasons of conscience.
Do not submit any exemption document to Undergraduate Admissions or the Student Health Center.
Texas State uses Magnus Health SMR for managing compliance with the meningitis requirement. Students subject to the bacterial meningitis requirement will receive an email from Magnus Health SMR with instructions. Students will be charged $10 by Magnus Health SMR for processing all exemption documents and verifying compliance with the requirement.
An exemption to the vaccination requirement may be requested by providing one of the following documents:
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What Is Meningococcal Disease
Meningococcal disease is a serious illness caused by a bacterium. It can cause meningitis, which is an infection of the brain and spinal cord, and it can also cause blood infections. The infection can cause death or lifelong disability.
About 375 people get the disease each year, and about 10 to 15 out of 100 people infected with meningococcal disease die. Of those who survive, up to one out of five have permanent disabilities, such as deafness, brain damage, loss of limbs, or seizures.
A person with meningococcal disease may become seriously ill very quickly. Antibiotics can treat meningococcal infections, but often can’t be given soon enough to help.
Talk To Your Healthcare Provider
If you have questions about your childs vaccine schedule, talk with your childs healthcare provider. They know your child and will be able to listen to your concerns and offer health advice. If you or your child do not have a primary healthcare provider, consult your local health department with any vaccine questions or needs.
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