New vaccine rules in effect

There are a few changes this year in vaccination requirements for children to attend school.

A new state law has added two more vaccines a student needs for school attendance by Oct. 1. One of them is the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

All kindergarten through 12th-grade students must get two doses of the varicella vaccine. Preschool or pre-kindergarten students only need one dose.

If a student has already had a case of chickenpox, documentation from a physician can be accepted in lieu of the vaccine. Additionally, students who already had two doses of the vaccine do not need to repeat it.

Students in seventh through 12th grades also will be required to have one dose of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine. In previous years, only a tetanus/diphtheria (Td), shot was required. The new law adds the pertussis component.

As long as a student has received at least one vaccine in the required series, that student may qualify for conditional attendance. A conditional attendance provision allows the student to stay in school while he or she finishes the required shots.

The new requirements are intended to reduce chickenpox and whooping cough both in school settings and in the community. Montana’s rates for both of these diseases are higher than any other state in the region, according to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

 For more information about vaccines, call the Montana Immunization Program at 444-5580 or visit dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/Immunization.aspx.