Over the last three years especially, vaccinations have been the subject of a great deal of debate.

However, the State of North Carolina is being very clear on its rules regarding vaccines: Students need to get quite a few of them if they wish to attend public school in the 2023-2024 school year.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Zack Moore stated in a Monday, August 14 press release that vaccines are “an essential piece of both child and family health and well-being,” and he added that getting kids vaccinated is key to “preventing illnesses and reducing days missed at school.”

The shots are intended to avoid “preventable” diseases such as meningitis, measles and whooping cough, which still show up periodically in various pockets of the state.

NCDHHS points out that kids who are uninsured can be vaccinated at little or no cost through the state’s Vaccines for Children program that offers free vaccines to eligible children up to 19 years of age.

The press release encouraged parents across the state to get kids vaccinated before the start of the new school year. Director of the NCDHHS Division of Public Health Dr. Susan Kansagra said that getting your kids vaccinated is both very important to do and very easy to do.

“Vaccines are one of the most effective means available for preventing the spread of disease,” she said in a prepared statement included in the release. “You can use any health care visit, including for sports physicals, school health assessments, check-ups, and sick visits to receive vaccines.”

NCDHHS is also encouraging parents across the state to talk with their children’s health care providers about the COVID-19 vaccine as well as about the flu vaccine for children ages 6 months and older whether those kids are in school or not.

More information and resources for parents and guardians is available on the CDC’s website.  Parents unsure of which vaccines their children need at any age can find out what is needed by taking a short quiz found at https://www2a.cdc.gov/vaccines/childquiz/?mc_cid=39438e75de&mc_eid=01df2fc38a

Here’s a list of the grade-level entry vaccines required for school attendance in North Carolina.

 

Kindergarten

DTaP

Polio

Hib and Pneumococcal conjugate (both are for 4-year-olds only)

Hepatitis B

Varicella

 

Seventh grade

DTaP

Polio

MMR (check for details)

Hepatitis B

Varicella

Tdap

Meningococcal conjugate

 

12th Grade

DTaP

Polio

MMR (check for details)

Hepatitis B

Varicella

Tdap meningococcal conjugate

 

Additional information on vaccine-preventable diseases and immunizations in North Carolina is available at immunize.nc.gov/family.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper – not coincidentally – proclaimed August as Immunization Awareness Month for the state.