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NEWS
New immunization requirements for some Ohio students
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Health recently announced additional immunization requirements for kindergarten and 7th grade students for the 2010-2011 school year.
Students in 7th grade will require the addition of a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) or tetanus and diphtheria (Td) booster. Kindergarten students will require the addition of a second dose of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine and a final dose of polio vaccine to be administered on or after the child's fourth birthday for kindergarten entry.
The new Ohio requirements more closely reflect recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Tdap vaccine is to protect against pertussis, also known as whooping cough, which doubled in the number of cases in Ohio between 2008 and 2009.
A second dose of varicella vaccine provides a child with 99 percent protection against chickenpox, which lessens the amount of time a child may miss school due to the disease.
Ohioans looking for more information about the new immunization requirements, vaccines or vaccine-preventable disease can learn more at www.odh.ohio.gov or contact the Ohio Department of Health Immunization Program at 800-282-0546.
