Vaccinations Offered to High School Students

High school seniors in Narragansett and Westerly will be offered free vaccinations for a variety of diseases under the state Health Department’s Vaccinate Before You Graduate program.

The program begins Thursday with FluMist for influenza immunization. Vaccinations for hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, chicken pox, meningitis and polio will begin after the first of the year.

The schools will provide parental consent and sign-up forms for seniors who need vaccinations.

The Health Department said the Vaccinate Before You Graduate program provides teens with all the immunizations they need while still in school so that they are fully protected against contagious diseases as they go off to college or work.

Many employers and colleges require immunizations before employment or admission, the department said.

The Health Department also said that if a family were to pay for all the required vaccinations, it would cost about $900.

The vaccinations at Narragansett High School will continue on Feb. 2 and March 9.

At Westerly High School, the vaccinations will continue on Jan. 5, Feb. 9, March 9, and May 11.