As our kids head back to school or enter the classroom for the first time, parents and caregivers are busy checking off lists of supplies and forms needed to set them up for success in the 2024-2025 academic year.

One of your to-dos is providing the school with a student’s record of immunizations: kids must be up-to-date for their age in accordance with the state’s school immunization policy. Classes soon will begin (if they haven’t already started), so now is a great time to look at why routine child immunizations are a vital part of back-to-school.

West Virginia is a National Leader in School Immunization Policy

Staying up-to-date on immunizations is the best way to protect our kids (and everyone) from unnecessary disease and death. All U.S. states have school immunization policies in place, proven to be effective tools which keep students healthy, in school, and ready to learn.

Across the country, the medical community considers West Virginia a national leader in school immunization policy. Children entering school in grades K-12 must show proof of immunization for 10 contagious/potentially deadly diseases. A child with a valid medical exemption must be approved by the West Virginia Department of Health. The immunizations needed for school entry include:

Diphtheria

Hepatitis B

Measles

Meningococcal (Meningitis)

Mumps

Pertussis (Whooping cough)

Polio

Rubella

Tetanus

Varicella (Chickenpox)

Because of this strong school immunization policy, West Virginia holds one of the highest school-age immunization rates. High rates of routine childhood immunizations are what help keep away diseases like measles and polio, which can seriously harm or even kill children (- and adults). Even small decreases in routine childhood immunizations can cause harmful outbreaks in schools and communities.

Building a Society Free from Unnecessary Disease and Death

Polio, diphtheria, and other vaccine-preventable diseases included in the school immunization policy are now rarely seen in West Virginia and the U.S., thanks to immunizations. These diseases can be debilitating and deadly, but we thankfully have not seen infections because of very high immunization rates.

Measles is one of the most highly contagious viruses and infection in children, and other vulnerable individuals, and measles infection can result in serious complications and even death. Here is a trustworthy link from the American Academy of Pediatrics to an article (Measles: What Parents Need to Know - https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/vaccine-preventable-diseases/Pages/Measles.aspx) about measles prevention.

Thanks to the development of the measles immunization, the United States had virtually eliminated measles in the country for more than 20 years. In fact, the childhood and adolescent immunization program in the U.S. led to a more than 99% decrease in measles cases since 1963.

Yet, with dips in routine immunization rates across the nation, measles cases in the U.S. are now on the rise. With lower measles immunization rates, our nation is now threatened to lose our measles elimination status. Keeping high immunization rates can keep up the elimination success story.

A strong school immunization policy drives West Virginia’s immunization rates and helps protect our national measles elimination status This keeps all vaccine-preventable diseases from spreading in our schools and communities.

Community Immunity

Immunization works by teaching the body to recognize and fight germs. When a person gets an immunization, the body naturally learns to make antibodies that help the immune system to recognize and fight those germs if it meets them. This is the best and safest way to become immune. When enough people are immunized against a disease, the germs that cause that disease are less able to travel from person to person.

Sometimes patients and parents are surprised to learn that one child’s immunization status can affect their entire community. Each person who stays up-to-date on vaccines contributes to overall high immunization rates in communities. This in turn helps protect vulnerable people from these deadly diseases, including babies not old enough for certain immunizations, pregnant women, elderly, or anyone with a weakened immune system. This surrounding protection is referred to as community immunity or herd immunity.

An A+ for Immunizations

Ultimately, staying up-to-date on all recommended immunizations at every age is the best way to protect ourselves and our families, neighbors, and communities from infections.

Getting our students (and ourselves) immunized on time, keeps all of us healthy – and that is an item we can all be proud of checking off the back-to-school list!