Southeastern Utah Health Department would like to remind parents about back-to-school vaccines that are needed for kindergarten and seventh grade students. District School Nurses, Heidi Yoklavich and Teonna Olsen took time to come into Castle Country Radio to share the details on immunizations.

“To start with we’re going to look at kindergarten that’s kind of where the immunizations are required. They need their DTAPs, their polios, their MMRs, their HEP A and B and then varicella. There are different amounts that are needed to be consider current, but those are the ones that are required in kindergarten,” said Yoklavich. Not only is your kindergartener in need of immunizations but any child entering seventh grade will need additional shots if they are not current. Your child will typically need a certificate of immunization to enroll in school.

It is very important that parents bring their student’s immunization records with them to registration so that the school nurse can review them. If parents have misplaced the yellow immunization card it could take some time to research past immunizations. “So it can be kind of difficult sometimes if you don’t’ have that yellow card. Where I would recommend starting if you’ve misplaced that is to contact your child’s physician. See if they have a record of the shots that they have received or you can contact the health department. There is a state database that those shots go into. The only kind of issue with that is not every doctor reports to that. But if you go to a doctor or the pharmacy or any of those that report in to that system, we have access to all of that,” stated Yoklavich.

The health department will have shots available at the middle schools on the day of registration. “So the middle schools will be having their regular seventh grade registrations, we will be there August 3 at Helper Middle School from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, and then again on August 9 at Mont Harmon from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Parents can bring their seventh graders to that clinic to get their shots. If they can’t attend that day then they can also come down to the health department. The health department at Price we do clinics Monday through Thursday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, and then again, the Castle Dale is another option,” stated Olsen.

If any parents have questions about immunization, they are urged to contact the Southeastern Utah Health Department in Price at (435) 637-3671 or in Castle Dale at (435) 381-2252.