IMMUNIZATIONS REQUIRED BY PUPILS
Chickenpox may be a common childhood disease that most adults remember getting, but that could be changing for schoolchildren in Georgia and South Carolina.
The development of a chickenpox, or varicella, vaccine has prompted both states to make it a requirement for children entering certain grades. In South Carolina, children must have the shot to enter kindergarten or first grade, or have proof in their medical history that they have had the disease and have that recorded. A doctor or the Health Department can record that on the child's Certificate of Immunization.
Georgia requires the shot, or proof that the child has had the disease, for children entering sixth grade.
"If you can protect the child from getting it, that's much better than subjecting the child to the disease," said Rhonda McKie, public health nurse supervisor with the Richmond County Health Department.
GEORGIA IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS:
At least four doses of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and poliomyelitis, with the last dose administered on or after the fourth birthday. Measles, mumps and rubella. To enter the sixth grade, a second dose administered after the first birthday is required. Children entering sixth grade must have the varicella vaccine or proof that they have had chicken pox.
EAR, EYE AND DENTAL EXAMS:
The Richmond County Health Department offers the exams for $12. The department also provides immunizations. The three most commonly needed shots would total $28.
The Columbia County Health Department will offer special hours for exams in August before the start of school. For information on the Appling clinic, call 541-1318; for the Harlem/Grovetown clinic, call 556-3727; for the Martinez/Evans clinic, call 868-3331. Exams cost $15, and shots range from $8 to $10, but discounts can be requested and would be based on income and family size.
The McDuffie County Health Department offers exams and immunizations on a sliding scale, depending on income. Walk-in patients are seen only on Mondays. Patients must have appointments Tuesdays and Wednesdays. No exams or immunizations on Thursdays and Fridays. Call (706) 595-1740.
SOUTH CAROLINA REQUIREMENTS:
Social Security card.
Three doses of any combination of the following: DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), DT (diphtheria and tetanus), DTP-Hib (same as above, plus meningitis), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis), or Td (tetanus diphtheria), with at least one dose delivered on or after the fourth birthday. Three doses of oral or inactivated polio vaccine, with one dose after the fourth birthday. One dose of rubeola (measles) on or after the first birthday. Children entering any child-development program or kindergarten through the 10th grade also need a second dose of rubeola after the first birthday. One dose of rubella (German measles) vaccine on or after the first birthday. One dose of mumps vaccine after the first birthday. Three doses of hepatitis B vaccine for all children admitted to kindergarten through fourth grades and seventh through 10th grades. Children entering kindergarten or first grade must have the varicella vaccine or proof that they have had chickenpox.
The Aiken County Health Department offers free immunizations, but only by appointment. Call (803) 642-7543.
The Edgefield County Health Department offers free immunizations, but only by appointment. Call (803) 637-4035.
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