Released July 25, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Parents or guardians of school-aged children must be sure their children have had their immunizations before they register for school, according to Margaret Harris, extension health specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The Arkansas State Board of Health is quite succinct about the matter: "No child (kindergarten through grade 12) shall be admitted to a public or private school in Arkansas who has not been age-appropriately immunized."
Required immunizations include the following:
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenzae type B
- Hepatitis B
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Poliomyelitis
- Rubella (German measles)
- Rubeola (red measles)
- Tetanus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Parents or guardians may provide proof of vaccination - including information on vaccine type and dates of administration - in one of the following forms:
- Certificate by a licensed physician
- Certificate from a public health department
- Certificate from a military service
- Official record from another educational institution in Arkansas
"Immunizations have protected millions and saved the lives of thousands of children," said Harris. "Formerly common diseases that have significantly declined due to immunizations include measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and polio."
Harris offered background about some of the diseases:
Diphtheria used to be a major cause of childhood illness. In the 1920s, 150,000 children contracted diphtheria, and about 15,000 children died.
Measles is a highly contagious virus with complications including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and death. Measles is the leading cause of blindness in children in Africa and kills approximately one million children each year worldwide.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is highly contagious. Infants are most at risk for severe complications such as apnea, bacterial pneumonia, seizures, encephalopathy and death.
Polio was the most notorious disease in the United States in the 20th century until AIDS appeared. Polio is highly infectious, attacks the nervous system and caused severe illness in thousands of people until the vaccine was introduced in 1955 by Dr. Jonas Salk.
Rubella, also known as German measles, tends to be a mild disease. However, a pregnant woman who contracts rubella has an 80 percent chance that her baby will be born deaf or blind, with a damaged heart or brain.
"Some diseases are so rare now that parents question whether immunizations are even necessary," said Harris. "However, the illnesses that vaccines help prevent are still in existence in other parts of the world so it is important to continue to immunize.
"Pertussis in particular is a major public health problem, making a comeback since the 1980s with a 400 percent increase in cases in 2004," she said.
For more information about childhood immunizations, you may wish to visit the websites of the Arkansas Department of Health or the Centers for Disease Control.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/july2008/0725immunizations.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu
