Low-cost immunizations for incoming kindergartners

El Dorado County Health Services Department, Public Health Division, is offering low cost back-to-school immunizations for children entering kindergarten. Health Services can provide all childhood vaccinations required for school entry, including those that protect against the following:

* Polio

* Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis/Whooping Cough (DTaP)

* Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

* Varicella (Chicken Pox)

* Hepatitis B

* Hib B (for preschool children)

In addition to kindergarten students, adolescents and college students also need vaccinations, according to El Dorado County Immunization Coordinator Cathy Dunbar. “The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that preteens, adolescents and students heading off to college receive the meningococcal conjugate (MCV4) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, as well as be up-to-date on their MMR, Hep B and Tdap vaccines,” Dunbar said in a press release. These vaccines are available through the Health Services Department.

“This year, with California experiencing an epidemic of whooping cough, it is especially important that teens and young adults, as well as teachers and daycare providers, get the Tdap vaccine,” said Dunbar.

Individuals may schedule a vaccination appointment with the Health Services Department by calling (530) 621.6100 in Placerville or (530) 573.3155 in South Lake Tahoe. A parent or legal guardian must be present for all childhood immunization appointments, and parents are advised to bring the child’s immunization record so that the vaccinations can be documented.