August is Immunization Awareness Month
Getting vaccinated according to the recommended immunization schedule is one of the most important things a parent can do to protect their child’s health. Diseases can quickly spread among groups of children who aren’t vaccinated. Whether it’s a baby starting at a new child care facility, a toddler heading to preschool, a student going back to elementary, middle or high school – or even a college freshman – parents should check their child’s vaccination records.
Child care facilities, preschool programs, schools and colleges are prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. Children in these settings can easily spread illnesses to one another due to poor hand washing, not covering their coughs, and other factors such as interacting in crowded environments.
When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk for disease and can spread disease to others in their play groups, child care centers, classrooms and communities – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer and other health conditions.
Additionally, states may require children who are entering child care or school to be vaccinated against certain diseases. Colleges and universities may have their own requirements, especially for students living in a dormitory. Parents should check with their child’s doctor, school or the local health department to learn about the requirements in their state or county.
Check your child’s vaccine records to make sure they are up to date on all the vaccines they need to stay healthy.
- Keep your child’s vaccine records current and in a safe place.
- If you haven’t already, check your child’s immunization record and schedule a visit to their physician or clinic. Doing so now will avoid a potential last minute rush and will help ensure there are no surprises on the first day of school.
- Most schools require children to be up to date on vaccinations before enrolling or starting school in order to protect the health of all students. If you are unsure of your state’s school immunization requirements, check with your child’s doctor, school, child care provider, college health center, or local health department.
- If you need official copies of immunization records for your child, or if you need to update your personal records, there are several places you can look including your child’s doctor, public health clinic, or school; or your state health department.
- For more information on obtaining vaccination records for your child, visit CDC’s Records & Requirements
Make sure that you provide your child care facility with updated vaccine records each time your child gets a shot.1
To help keep our community safe, Health Plan of San Joaquin is proudly participating in National Immunization Awareness Month. Please see our Preventive Health Guidelines on our website: https://hpsj4.wpengine.com/preventive-health-guidelines/. HPSJ promotes and provides to its members, practitioners and providers, age appropriate Preventive Health Guideline recommendations consistent with nationally recognized standards. These standards are intended to serve as guidelines for timely preventive health visits. The services may be performed during well care visits, sick visits or during chronic disease check-ups.2
HPSJ measures our effectiveness of care for prevention and screening services. The immunization CIS, IMA, and HPV measures are based on hybrid data (medical record review and claims or encounters). Here are our results from HEDIS 2016:
Sources:
- “Ready for School? Check Those Vaccine Records.” National Immunization Awareness Month Communication Toolkit. National Public Health Information Coalition, ©2014. https://www.nphic.org/niam-toolkit. 3, August 2016.
- Health Plan of San Joaquin. (2016). Preventive Health Guidelines. Unpublished internal document.