As students across Wyoming head back to school, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is reminding parents to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccinations. Along with packing lunches, notebooks, and backpacks, keeping up with essential immunizations is crucial to protect children from serious diseases like measles and whooping cough.
Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state health officer and epidemiologist with WDH, emphasized the importance of vaccines, especially as students spend their days in close contact with one another. Vaccinations not only protect individual children but also help prevent the spread of illnesses within schools and the wider community.
In Wyoming, certain vaccinations are required for children attending public and private schools, as well as child care facilities. Kindergarteners should be current on DTaP, MMR, hepatitis B, polio, and varicella vaccines, while children aged 11 to 12 should receive the Tdap vaccine. Schools may place students who are not fully vaccinated on conditional enrollment or exclude them until they meet the requirements.
WDH also recommends additional vaccines, including those for flu, HPV, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and COVID-19, to further safeguard children’s health.
Cost should not be a barrier to getting children vaccinated. For families with health insurance, most policies cover vaccination costs. Additionally, over 100 providers in Wyoming participate in the Vaccines for Children program, offering low-cost vaccines to qualifying families.
To keep track of vaccination records, WDH offers Docket, a secure website and smartphone app. Docket provides an official record of vaccinations reported to the Wyoming Immunization Registry and can notify users when vaccinations are due. The app is also available for adults in Wyoming.
For more information on vaccination records and to find local vaccine providers, visit immunizewyoming.com.
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