Laws regarding school vaccine requirements are changing in many states for the 2018-2019 school year.
In some states, such as Kentucky, all students in public and private school must have 2 doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine, and 1 or 2 doses of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine starting in the 2018 school year.
For the Hepatitis A vaccine, each of the 2 doses must be given 6 months apart. That means parents must schedule their child’s first appointment in January or February 2018 if the child has not already been immunized against Hepatitis A — or there is no record of it — so that the child can get their second dose of the vaccine before August.
According to Henderson County Schools Public Information Officer Megan Mortis:
“That’s why we are trying to really push out this information in January, so folks can get ready. We want to make sure all of our students are meeting this requirement.”
For the meningococcal ACWY vaccine, the number of doses depends on the age of the child when they received their first dose.
The first dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine is usually given when the child is 11 or 12 years old, with a “booster” shot administered when the child is in their late teenage years.
Only 1 dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine is required if the child was over the age of 16 when they received their first dose.
For more information, parents should contact the school where their child will be attending the 2018-2019 school year and ask about the requirements for immunizations.
Source: Parents must act now to meet new school vaccine requirements