Immunizations added to back-to-school to-do list

New health requirements for shots changed to prevent meningitis, whooping cough

By Aprille Hanson
Little Rock Correspondent

For parents getting their children ready for the school year there’s usually more than a few items on the list: Folders, backpacks, pens/pencils, clothes … and this year, a new batch of immunizations.

“It’s been several years since they’ve done that,” said Maureen Berry, administrative assistant with Immaculate Conception School in North Little Rock, speaking of updated vaccine requirements.

In April, the Arkansas Department of Health issued a proposed list of additional immunizations required for students attending public or private school. Arkansas law dictates that students must be immunized or in the process (some shots include two or three doses) by Oct. 1 or a student could face expulsion.

Vernell Bowen, superintendent of Catholic schools, said she understands why some parents might be frustrated with the changes because the final requirements were not approved by the health department until July.

The additional immunizations that become mandatory Sept. 1 are: 

• If your child will be age 11 on or before Sept. 1 they will need a “booster” shot of Tdap (If your child will be 11 after school starts, your child will need to receive the vaccine within 30 days of his or her birthday).

“Tdap protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (also known as whooping cough). In the case of the Tdap, the changes were made specifically to help reduce the number of pertussis cases,” Kerry Krell, public information officer for the Office of Health Communications and Marketing in the Arkansas Department of Health, said.

In 2013, Arkansas had 466 cases of whooping cough, up from 80 cases reported in 2011.

“Pertussis is very contagious, easily spread and causes uncontrollable, violent coughing fits, making it hard to breathe,” Krell said. ”Pertussis can be fatal, especially in babies. Most of Arkansas’ cases are seen in babies younger than 1 and children between the ages of 10 and 11.”

Previously this booster wasn’t required until seventh grade.

• If your child will be entering seventh grade, they need one dose of Meningcoccal vaccine.

• If your child is 16 years old, they need two doses of Meingococcal vaccine. If the first dose was received on or after age 16, only one dose is required.

“Meningococcal protects against meningitis, which is a serious bacterial infection that causes brain swelling and can be fatal,” Krell said.

Previously the Meingococcal vaccine wasn’t required until a student was 18 years old.

Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, medical director for immunizations at the Arkansas Department of Health, said there is no “grace period for this year,” regarding the deadline for the vaccines.

Dillaha added that the vaccines aren’t new, but rather a new requirement and that most students who get their shots according the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations should already have been given the vaccines.

“These changes were made to better protect students — and the rest of the community — from diseases that frequently cause serious illness that can lead to absenteeism, missed work, doctor’s visits, hospitalizations and in some cases, death,” Krell said.

Dillaha said parents will receive a one-page information sheet on each of the vaccines when they take their child to their general practitioner or the county health department. It is also available online at cdc.gov/vaccines.

“Side effects vary with different shots,” Dillaha said. “The most common side effects with these vaccines are pain where the shot was given, and there may also be some redness and swelling.”

Nurses within the Catholic schools informed parents of the updated vaccines in April and during the summer months through letters and e-mails. Typically, parents will bring the updated immunization records on “back to school” nights held in August.

Kristie Fox, a registered nurse at Christ the King School in Little Rock who has seven children of her own, said getting the students up-to-date on their vaccines as soon as possible should be a priority for parents.

“At my pediatrician’s, they were overwhelmed,” Fox said. “I imagine the health department is swamped too.”

Charity Luyet, a nurse at St. Joseph School in Conway, said some clinics are booked for two to three months in advance for vaccines, so waiting any longer is not a good option.

“All these changes can be so confusing and overwhelming to parents so my advice is check with your physician [because] they too have all the information on the changes,” Luyet said.

But the vaccines, Luyet said, are necessary. In the five years since she’s been at the school, she said whooping cough has been on the rise.

“We have had positive cases the past two years. Both years we immediately got the students who tested positive treated and all those who were exposed,” Luyet said. “We also sent e-mails out to our parents making them aware of the outbreak and educating them on the symptoms … Most of the time we were treating the entire class of students due to the close contact of all the students.”

Fox said she, sometimes with the help of other staff members at Christ the King, can go over all the immunization records in a week and notify parents immediately if their child is not up-to-date. Only a small handful of the approximately 700 students at Christ the King are exempt from certain vaccines because of allergic reactions or chronic illnesses, which Fox added are “valid reasons.”

“I don’t agree that immunizations cause autism or anything like that,” Fox said regarding the recent debate that immunizations can cause other illnesses in children. “They outweigh any risk … if it prevents your child from getting sick.”

Laura Fawcett, a licensed practical nurse at Subiaco Academy, said at the beginning of August 80 percent of the 32 football players (the only ones at that point to turn in updated shot records) were compliant with the updated immunizations.

“I know Sebastian County had run out and they had to wait until they could replenish their stock,” Fawcett said. “Over the summer, most of the county health departments were extending their hours,” to help with the overflow of students who need vaccines.

Fawcett said the additional requirements will help keep students safe.

“Meningitis can be such a deadly disease and when you have a boarding school,” with students in close quarters, it can heighten the risk, Fawcett said. “I think they are justifiable.”

Though the department encourages all children to be vaccinated, parents can e-mail the ADH Immunization Section at to request the exemption form for a medical, religious or philosophical exemption, according to the health department.

“I’ve seen it, meningitis, and what it does to a child,” Fawcett said. “It’s worth it to get the shot.”

At St. Joseph in Conway, Luyet said of the 433 students at the three campuses, more than half are up-to-date on the new immunization requirements.

“It really has not been that difficult to handle the influx of the new immunizations. I started sending emails to all my parents in the spring with the changes and which grades the changes would effect,” Luyet said. “Our local pediatric clinics also were very helpful with our students who were patients at their clinics and helped reinforce the changes.”

Dillaha said the shots are free, covered by insurance. Those without insurance also have a few options.

“Childhood immunizations are provided at no cost to families. The Affordable Care Act requires private insurance plans to cover all ACIP-recommended vaccinations at no cost to patients,” Dillaha said.

“Children on Medicaid ARKids and children without private insurance can receive immunizations through the Vaccine for Children program at no cost to their family. However, parents are reminded to always bring their insurance or Medicaid card with them to their children’s immunization appointments.”

The bottom line, Luyet said, is keeping the children healthy, which is the goal of the updated vaccine requirements.

“My opinion of the immunization changes is if it helps keep diseases out of our schools, such as whooping cough, it’s worth all the extra work,” Luyet said. “We need to do all that we can to keep our students healthy and from spreading unnecessary germs that could have been prevented.”

For more information, please visit the state department of health website by clicking here.

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