New Immunization Requirements 2010-2011
by Lori Hogue
Schools will have new immunization requirements for the 2010-2011 school year from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). As you may remember, the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3313.67 and 3313.671 indicate that schools are responsible for ensuring that students who enroll in school have immunizations required by ODH. The statute also states that schools are to keep records of the immunizations.
The requirements do not include new immunizations; rather, the schedule for when students receive them has been changed. Please integrate the new requirements into your Fall enrollment information and prepare to share this information with families. The changes in requirements are:
- The addition of a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (Tdap) booster for seventh-grade students;
- The addition of a second dose of varicella (a progressive requirement starting with kindergarten for 2010); and
- The fourth dose of polio being administered on or after the fourth birthday.
The most significant change is the Tdap booster for seventh-grade students, because currently only 30 percent of these students have received this inoculation. For more information, call the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Immunization Program hotline at (800) 282-0546. Further information, including a summary of all required immunizations, can be found on the ODH Web site by clicking here.
