California 2011 -Vaccine for students: It’s the law

California 2011 -Vaccine for students: It’s the law
t’s new, it’s different and it’s a nonnegotiable requirement for all seventh- through 12th-graders entering school this fall in California.

That’s why area school districts continue the scramble to educate parents about the state law that requires all those students to be immunized with a pertussis, or whooping cough, Tdap vaccine in order to enroll in classes for 2011-12.

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The law, which went into effect July 1, was passed last year after a record epidemic of more than 9,000 cases hit California and killed 10 infants, the most vulnerable to the contagious disease.

Lawmakers underscored the reality of time constraints two weeks ago by quickly voting to give school districts an additional 30 days after the start of the academic year to verify student immunization records.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed that emergency bill into law Monday.

A steady stream of fliers, automated phone calls and Spanish and English television public service announcements continue making their way to parents whose kids still need to get the Tdap vaccine from a family physician, clinic or pharmacy.

Many area districts began information attacks last spring and intensified those efforts this summer, although most haven’t seen cases of the disease, characterized by its severe, hacking cough and high-pitched intake of breath.

Word started going out in the Lucia Mar Unified School District in fall 2010, said district nurse Linda Hogoboom.

About 84 percent of the district’s affected students are compliant with the new law, she said, partly thanks to community health centers that provided low- to no-cost clinics throughout last school year.

“They deserve recognition, as do our school nurses who worked above and beyond to ease the impact of this very difficult mandate,” Hogoboom said.

She added that the San Luis Obispo County Health Department has called Lucia Mar a “model for all districts.”

Some districts in Santa Maria could be in bigger trouble.

At the end of last school year, less than 25 percent of students in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District had turned in fulfilled immunization records, said Superintendent Doug Kimberly.

District officials won’t know what that figure actually is until orientation

Aug. 8 to 12 or until school starts Aug. 16.

So while the 30-day cushion is nice, Kimberly said, districts aren’t looking to foster further procrastination that could cause some students to be yanked out of courses in the middle of fall semester.

“For health and safety reasons, we would like to have everyone vaccinated before (school),” Kimberly said.

Signs advertising Tdap availability have gone up at area pharmacies, including Rite Aid and Walgreens locations.

Greg Flores, pharmacist in charge at Target in Santa Maria, said signs are en route to his store this week.

He’s received some requests for Tdap, but he expects more soon.

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