As a parent, you want to give your child a strong and healthy start to the school year. Vaccines are one of the ways to do that. Many schools require them too.
Vaccines are safe and effective. And staying up to date helps protect children and others around them from illnesses that can cause complications from muscle paralysis to brain damage.
Pediatric vaccines: What’s needed to start school?
By now, your child has likely received most of their routine immunizations from birth through 18 months. Your provider can help you understand what’s needed before school and in the years ahead. The following can help you too.
By kindergarten, Nevada requires kids to have:
· Five doses of the DTaP vaccine, which helps protect against diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough). If dose four is given on or after the child’s fourth birthday, dose five isn’t needed.
· Two doses of hepatitis A vaccine and three doses of hepatis B vaccine.
· Two doses of MMR vaccine, which helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella.
· Four doses of polio (IPV) vaccine. If dose three is given on or after the child’s fourth birthday, dose four isn’t needed.
· Two doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
By 7th grade, Nevada also requires kids to have:
· One dose of meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY), which helps protect against meningitis.
· One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis).
And by 12th grade, Nevada requires kids to have:
• A second dose of MenACWY.
In addition to these vaccine requirements, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several shots for school-aged kids. These include:
· Yearly flu shots.
· The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine. This vaccine helps prevent certain types of cancer caused by HPV infections later in life.
· The COVID-19 vaccine for kids with risk factors or whose parents want them protected.
· The meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine. This vaccine helps prevent meningococcal disease caused by serogroup B bacteria. It’s recommended for kids at increased risk. A vaccine called MenABCWY can be used instead of separate MenB and MenACWY shots if both are recommended at the same visit for kids 10 and up.
Talk with your child’s provider about whether these vaccines are recommended for your child.
Schedule a back-to-school checkup today
Let’s face it: Vaccine recommendations can feel complicated. A back-to-school checkup is a great way to make sure your kids are up to date and ready for a healthy school year. Carson Valley Health (CVH) family medicine providers can help your kids (and you!) with vaccines and your health goals. To make an appointment, call the CVH Primary Care clinic where you would like to be seen:
In Minden
· Primary Care Minden Village: 775.782.1603.
· Primary Care at Ironwood: 775.782.1610.
In Wellington
· Primary Care Topaz Ranch: 775.783.3096.
In Gardnerville
· Primary Care Virginia Ranch: 775.782.1550.
