Students Must Get Updated Shots For School

[Ognir]

Aug 3, 2006 03:37 AM

In less than two weeks, thousands of Central Texas students will head back to school. The Austin school district maintains if your kids aren't immunized they won't be allowed to go to school.

This comes at the same time when diseases that were once thought to be rare are making a comeback.

Doctors are starting to see more cases of measles, mumps and rubella. They're serious and very contagious diseases.

The reason doctors say they're seeing a resurgence is because kids are not being immunized at a young age like they are supposed to be.

That's why AISD is holding a series of shot clinics from now until the start of the school year. These immunizations are free.

The district maintains that it's state law for students to be immunized and they won't be allowed to start school on the first day.

Instead they'll be sent home.

"If they don't have a physician, if they don't have healthcare, where do they go? So that's where the immunization collaboration looked at access and the community," Director of Children's Hospital & AISD Health Services Judy Frederick said.

For some of these students the first healthcare provider they see is a school nurse. If you want to find out where the shot clinics are, you can call 211.

Parents who have moral objections to immunizations can file an exemption form by calling the Texas Health and Human Services.

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