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Immunizations. Are your children up to date? What you need to know.
If your child is under 2 years old, or age 4, 11 or 16, and needs a vaccine, or if they have missed a child well visit or lead screening during the last several months, please call their doctor and make an appointment to be seen before your child returns to school in September. That’s the word from Governor Gina Raimondo and the RI Department of Health.
In April and May, Rhode Island saw a 52% reduction in immunization rates for children between the ages of 2 and 7.
For those concerned about COVID19 and medical offices, the Health Department notes that pediatricians are taking extreme caution – keeping waiting rooms clear, using PPE, conducting infection control, and requiring screenings specifically designed to mitigate risk of exposure to the virus. The concern for immunization lag one that has been mentioned several times in Governor Raimondo’s press events.
For those with children without health insurance, the advice is to call the Health Insurance Exchange at 1-855-840-4774 to learn more about coverage.
Getting children properly immunized for the school year is “a shared responsibility to protect public health”, according to Gov. Raimondo.
Immunizations for students:
Requirements for students entering licensed DHS center-based and in-home childcare facilities
- 4 doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine
- 1 dose of Flu vaccine each year
- 2 doses of Hepatitis A vaccine
- 3 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
- 3 doses of Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine
- 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
- 4 doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine (not routinely given to healthy children 5 years of age and older)
- 3 doses of Polio vaccine
- 2 doses of Rotavirus vaccine
- 1 dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
Requirements for students entering kindergarten
A student entering kindergarten must have met the pre-kindergarten immunization requirements, plus:
- 1 dose of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine
- 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
- 1 dose of Polio vaccine
- 1 dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
Requirements for students entering 7th grade
A student entering 7th grade must have met the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten immunization requirements, plus:
- 1 dose of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine
- 1 dose of Meningococcal Conjugate (MCV4) vaccine
- 1 dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine
Requirements for students entering 8th grade
A student entering 8th grade must have met the 7th grade immunization requirements, plus:
- 2 doses of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine
Requirements for students entering 9th grade
A student entering 9th grade must have met the 8th grade immunization requirements, plus:
- 3 doses of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine
- *Note: Per current ACIP recommendations, 2 doses of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine (if series is started at age 14 or younger)
Requirement for students entering 12th grade
A student entering 12th grade must have met the 9th grade immunization requirements, plus:
- 1 dose of Meningococcal Conjugate (MCV4) vaccine – booster dose
Exemptions
Students and children in childcare (day care) and pre-kindergarten facilities can be exempted from required immunizations for religious, medical, or temporary reasons. A medical exemption certificate must be signed by a medical provider.
About the HPV vaccination
No student should be excluded from school if he/she is not vaccinated against HPV.
Per current ACIP recommendations, adolescents 9 – 14 years of age need 2 doses of HPV vaccine for series completion, and adolescents 15 – 26 years of age need 3 doses for series completion.
Impact on schools: School nurses will only have to assess for 2 doses of vaccine rather than 3 doses, for 9th graders who start the series before age 15.