Utah’s K-12 students are required to have a series of vaccinations before heading to class each year.
Families of the youngest students are usually up to date because they see their pediatricians more often, Summit County Health Department Director Phil Bondurant said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour,” Aug. 10. But when students reach seventh grade, they tend to fall behind.
Bondurant said the health department typically sees a rush of families just before the school year.
“Maybe those annual visits are not occurring annually, or they're not occurring at a time when it's close enough to the school year, and we see a few of the essential vaccines are missing going into seventh grade,” he said.
Bondurant said it’s not too late for students to get their shots. He said the health department has plenty of appointments open and upcoming back-to-school nights at local schools for students to get caught up.
“You can still get in. It can make it as easy as possible, and whether it's a kindergartner, a seventh grader, or a senior, we can set you on a path for a wonderful, healthy school year,” he said.
As students go back to school, Bondurant also reminds families to check the status of their measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations.
Measles cases have surged in Utah over the past year, so unvaccinated students exposed to the virus could miss school.
“We are focused on making sure people are aware of the risks,” Bondurant said. “And the decisions they make around measles, as it can have complications moving into the school year, with that period where those that are unvaccinated and exposed would be removed from the school system for 21 days.”
Monday, President Donald Trump signed a childhood vaccines order that decreases the number of immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. It includes a recommendation to separate the combined MMR vaccine into three single-disease shots.
The order is only a recommendation because individual states control vaccine requirements for students attending K-12 schools and daycares.
