Health Department urges families to vaccinate kids before school resumes

As parents prepare their children for the new school year,Nova Scotia's Department of Health and Wellness wants them to make sure part of that prep work includes ensuring their children's vaccinations are up to date.

Once school resumes, it's easy for children to spread diseases between themselves and their classmates, and eventually back to the adults they come into contact with.

Immunization helps protect children and the population as a whole from serious illnesses.

Vaccinations lower the risk of infection and help people develop immunity to whooping cough, measles and many other diseases, according to a provincial government news release.

Before they start school, children between the ages of four and six should receive a booster of the Tdap-IPV vaccine, which protects against:

• Tetanus.
• Diphtheria.
• Whooping cough.
• Polio.

Some children may also need a second dose ofMMRVvaccine to protect against:

• Measles.
• Mumps.
• Rubella.
• Chickenpox.

Grade 7 students receiveHPV,hepatitis B, meningococcal quadrivalent and Tdap vaccines at school-based clinics.

The Health Department saidit's also important for parents and guardians to make sure their own vaccinations are currentand that they keep a record of their family'svaccination history.

Adults who have not received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine should also be vaccinated. Additionally, all adults need a booster dose against diphtheria andtetanus every 10 years. Some adults will also require a vaccination for pertussis.

How to find out what vaccines you need

A health-care provider can help families determine what vaccines are necessary to make sure everyone in a household is protected.

Those who don't have a health-care provider can call their local public health office to arrange immunizations, according to the Health Department.

There's also a mobileapp calledCANImmunizewhere people can get more information about vaccines and keep track of their immunization records.

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