Catawba County News
Back to School Immunizations
Published: August 15, 2024
CHILD WELL-VISITS, SCHOOL VACCINATIONS NEEDED FOR SOME STUDENTS
HICKORY – Summer is quickly coming to an end and children will be headed back to classrooms across Catawba County very soon. One way to ensure they are healthy and ready to return is through routine vaccinations and health assessments. North Carolina requires vaccinations for children and teens entering Kindergarten, 7th and 12th grade. Rising kindergartners and children entering public school in North Carolina for the first time should also have a health assessment completed by their child’s health care provider.
“It is important for children to start off the school year healthy and present in the classroom,” said Catawba County School Health Supervisor Marianne Vogel. “Being caught up on routine vaccinations provides the best protection against many childhood diseases that can cause severe illness and absences from school.”
School nurses are available as a resource in each school across the county. For families who do not already have a primary health care provider, school nurses can help them find one or locate a vaccine provider.
“A healthy community in the future depends on healthy children today and ensuring that all of our community’s children are growing and developing into healthy adults is a priority at Public Health. That is why well-child visits with a health care provider are so important,” said Vogel.
Public Health also offers routine vaccinations for children and teens, including those required for school, and has extra dates and times available to make vaccinations more convenient. Appointments can be made by calling 828-695-5881.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect children from preventable diseases and many childhood illnesses such as measles, mumps, polio, whooping cough, meningitis and more. Cases of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough have been on the rise in recent years, making childhood immunizations even more important,” said Sarah Rhodes, Clinical Nursing Supervisor with Catawba County Public Health. “Vaccines don’t only protect individual children. They provide protection for the community as a whole by preventing rapid spread of disease from person to person in our community. This helps protect all of our community’s most vulnerable people, especially children, and gets them started in school with their best foot forward.”
More information on vaccines for children and teens: Call Catawba County Public Health’s Immunizations Clinic at 828-695-5881.