National Immunization Awareness Month - Pennsylvania

The Governor of Pennsylvania (PA) Tom Wolf issued a press release supporting National Immunization Awareness Month, urging parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated for protection against life-threatening diseases.

In 2017, PA state regulations changed the provisional period in which students could attend school without their vaccinations from 8 months to just 5 days.

Children in grades K-12 need the following immunizations for attendance: 4 doses of DTaP; 3 doses of hepatitis B; 2 doses of MMR; 4 doses of polio; and 2 doses of, or evidence of immunity, from chickenpox.

Even if a child is exempt from immunizations, he or she may be excluded from school in PA during a vaccine-preventable, disease outbreak, such as measles or mumps.

PA Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said, “When children aren’t vaccinated, they are at greater risk of developing serious illnesses.”

“Unvaccinated children can also spread vaccine-preventable diseases to others who are too young to be fully vaccinated and to those with weakened immune systems.”

Students entering the 7th grade in PA also need the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV). A 2nd dose of the MCV is now required for all 12th-grade students to protect against meningitis.

If a child does not have at least one dose of these vaccinations, he or she can be excluded from school.

The PA vaccination regulations allow for the following exemptions:

• Medical reason;
• Religious belief; or
• Philosophical/strong moral or ethical conviction.

To help parents meet these vaccination requirements the PA Department of Health offers immunization clinics year-round across the state. If a child does not have insurance coverage or if insurance does not cover back-to-school immunizations, children who meet the requirements can get their vaccines at one of the state health centers or local health departments.

The need for vaccinations does not end in childhood, says this PA press release.

Vaccines are also recommended for adults to prevent serious diseases such as hepatitis, influenza (flu), pneumonia, shingles, and whooping cough (pertussis). Other vaccine recommendations vary based on age, lifestyle, medical conditions, occupation, past vaccinations, and travel destinations.

“You never outgrow the need for immunizations,” Dr. Levine said.

Most pharmacies in the USA offer back-to-school vaccination services.

This Vaccine Price List displays the private sector vaccine prices and general information.

And, vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.