ADPH reminds parents of required vaccines for students going back to school

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - With school set to start in less than a week, parents are needing to check off one last thing on the supply list, vaccines.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, children have to have their immunization records up-to-date before heading back to class.

The required list of vaccines helps prevent diseases such as Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, and more. Although the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t on the list of required vaccines, parents may want to add it.

Doctor Stubblefield with the Alabama Department of Public Health says that the CDC encourages children to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’ve seen just a slow uptick in the kids,” Stubblefield said. “The first group eligible 12 to 18 then it was the 5-11 and now the 6 months to 5 years. So each group has more, so the older kids have had more time than the younger kids”.

According to ADPH, fewer than 15 percent of Alabama’s children under the age of five are vaccinated and less than 40 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 17 are vaccinated.

Over the past week, nearly one in every three people getting tested for COVID-19 in Alabama have tested positive for the virus.

“The CDC recommending the COVID vaccine is now available for anyone six months and up,” Stubblefield said. “That is recommended there are vaccines that are recommended that are not required for Alabama but are recommended by the CDC. It’s really when parents look at those vaccines they should really talk to their health care provider about what vaccines their children are getting. What’s appropriate for their age and what those providers recommend so they can make an educated decision.”

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