Parents: Remember shots for children

It might seem like classes just got out for summer, but the first day of school already is a little more than a month away.

And before students can go back to class, many of them need updated immunizations.

The state of Montana has set specific shot requirements for students entering kindergarten.

Before they can start school, children must have at least four DTaP shots to immunize them against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). The final shot must be given after a child’s fourth birthday.

Kindergarteners must have a second MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shot before they can start school; they generally get their first dose after their first birthday.

Children must also receive three doses of a polio vaccine before starting kindergarten. They should get the last shot after their fourth birthday.

These are minimum requirements, according to the Flathead City-County Health Department. State and federal guidelines recommend five DTaP and four polio vaccinations.

Kindergarteners aren’t the only ones whose immunization records have to be updated before school starts.

The state requires children age 11 and older to receive a tetanus booster before they enter the seventh grade. The TDAP booster is for children who are at least 11 years old and whose last DTaP shot was at least five years ago.

Parents should also make sure their seventh-graders have had two doses of an MMR vaccine.

Children can get immunizations from their medical provider or through the health department. August tends to be a busy month for the health department, so parents are urged to get their children in early to avoid long lines.

The health department offers immunization clinics every weekday.

In Kalispell, clinic hours are from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The clinic, located at 1035 First Ave. W., is closed on the second Tuesday of each month.

On that second Tuesday, the clinic moves to other Flathead towns. Immunizations are offered from 9 a.m. to noon at the Columbia Falls Volunteer Ambulance Building at 31 Seventh St. W., and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at Whitefish’s Golden Agers Senior Center, 121 Second St.

No child will be denied a vaccine due to an inability to pay. Call the health department at 751-8101 or visit www.flatheadhealth.org for additional information.