San Juan County health officials encourage parents to get children current with the required vaccinations before the school year begins.

Vaccination is the most effective way to protect children against serious illnesses.

“Immunizations not only protect children, but they also protect the people they come into contact with, including other kids in school,” pediatrician Dr. Maxine Hayes said.

Children who attend licensed child care or preschool and children starting second grade, third grade, and sixth grade must get the varicella vaccine for chickenpox or document they’ve had the disease. Kindergarteners and first graders need two doses. Parent reports of chickenpox are not acceptable for children entering public kindergarten and first grade.

Exemptions are allowed for medical, religious, or personal reasons, but children who are not fully immunized may be excluded from attending school if a disease outbreak occurs.

Outbreaks of measles, chickenpox, and Pertussis, known as whooping cough, have been reported in Washington state in the past year. There have also been cases of novel H1N1 swine Influenza in Washington.

For some vaccine preventable diseases like Pertussis, the vaccine protection starts to wear off in the early teen years making a booster vaccine necessary to continue protection against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis.

Parents can request their child’s shot records from their regular health care provider whenever possible. Parents taking children to physical check-ups for sports are reminded by San Juan County Health Department to ask about vaccination status.

County health department personnel Martha Sharon, PHN and Susan Leff, PHN, MSN are available to answer vaccination questions at 378-4474. Parents may also check Parent Help 123 at www.parenthelp123.org.