Heading to the doctor’s office may not be everyone’s favorite summertime activity. However, upcoming seniors may have to take a trip to their local health clinic before their last year of high school begins.
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has added a new immunization requirement for the 2016-2017 school year requires students in the twelfth grade to provide documentation of receiving a second Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine if their first MCV4 vaccine was given before the age of 16. Students who received this vaccine at the age of 16 have already met this requirement. The school encourages students to check in with their healthcare provider or the school nurse to see if they received the MCV4.
“I am not looking forward to getting this shot because I am terrible with needles,” junior Hiba Burney said. “At least they told us ahead of time some it doesn’t come as a surprise to all the incoming seniors.”
ISDH wants students to understand if the school do not have this immunization on record before the first day of school on Aug. 10, those students will not be allowed to attend school until their records are updated. This is one of the reasons why ISDH alerted senior students and their families early to allot time for them to check their medical records and schedule an appointment with their doctor over the summer.
When students receive their MVC4 vaccine, they need to provide medical documentation to the school nurse so it can be added into the student’s health file.
To learn more, the ISDH immunization letter is located on the school website or students can go to the ISDH website for more information.
