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A Back-to-School Must: shotsHepatitis B Vaccinations Are the Only New Requirement for Nebraska's School-Age Kids, but Several Vaccines Are Advised.

Posted on: Monday, 1 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

When working through their back-to-school checklists, parents should make sure their children's vaccinations are up to date.

In Nebraska, the only new requirement is that all school-age children -- from kindergarten through 12th grade -- should have received or be in the process of receiving vaccinations for hepatitis B, said Barbara Ludwig, manager of the Nebraska Health and Human Services System's immunization program.

The state began phasing in the requirement for the three-dose series of shots in 1999. Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus, which can be transmitted through blood and bodily fluids.

In Iowa, the vaccine already is required for all children, said Kevin Teale, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Health.

There also are several new recommended vaccines, said Dr. Archana Chatterjee, associate professor of pediatrics at Creighton University Medical Center.

One is a new vaccine against a type of bacterial meningitis. Called Menactra, the vaccine is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur. The vaccine, licensed for ages 11 to 55, is recommended for adolescents, she said.

The disease is of particular concern for dorm-dwelling college freshmen because the bacterial illness can spread quickly in such close living quarters.

Both Nebraska and Iowa laws require that colleges and universities inform incoming freshmen about the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended earlier this year that all college freshmen living in dorms be vaccinated.

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis can set in within a few hours. The illness inflames the membranes around the brain and spinal cord and can result in brain damage, hearing loss, learning disabilities and sometimes death.

Chatterjee said the group at highest risk for the disease actually is children younger than 2, for whom there is no vaccine. Adolescents are the second-highest risk category and those at the greatest risk of death. Experiences in the United Kingdom indicate that vaccinating adolescents not only protects them but also helps prevent the spread to younger children.

Chatterjee also recommended that parents of 11- to 12-year-olds seek booster shots for whooping cough, which showed up in increasing numbers last year in Nebraska, Iowa and the rest of the country.

"With kids going back to school, it's very important because we know it spreads in day cares and schools," she said.

Babies and toddlers receive a series of vaccinations for whooping cough, but researchers think that protection wears off, often by adolescence. Protecting adolescents and adults also can help prevent the spread to younger children who are not yet fully vaccinated.

The federal government in recent months has approved two new boosters. GlaxoSmithKline's Boostrix adds whooping cough protection to a shot against tetanus and diphtheria that youths should receive between ages 10 and 18. Sanofi's Adacel covers people ages 11 to 64 years.

Ludwig said the three new vaccines may be available from private doctors but are not yet accessible through public health clinics. Parents should check with their doctors to see if they have the vaccines.

Source: Omaha World - Herald

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