DPH Reminds Parents to Get Children Vaccinated Ahead of Upcoming School Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 23, 2024

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Ahead of the 2024-25 school year, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) reminds parents to make sure their children are up to date with all required vaccines and to familiarize themselves with the updated School and Childcare Exclusion List.  

Children enrolled in school and childcare are required to be current on certain vaccinations at the start of each school year. This helps protect the health of children, teachers and school staff who are in group settings every day, as vaccines are one of the most-successful public health interventions for reducing disease spread and safeguarding against vaccine-preventable illnesses and complications. 

“Vaccines are a safe and effective way of protecting our children from diseases like chicken pox, whooping cough, mumps and measles,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DPH Deputy Director for Health Promotion and Services and Chief Medical Officer.  “Appointment slots will fill up quickly before the school year starts, so parents are urged to schedule an appointment as early as possible to ensure your child is up to date on required and recommended vaccinations and they don’t miss school for not meeting requirements.” 

To find a vaccine provider near you, visit DPH’s Find a Vaccines for Children Provider tool. Appointments for immunizations can also be made at many of DPH’s county health departments by calling 1-855-472-3432 or online using Web Chat.   

Current vaccination requirements for the 2024-25 school year are available on the DPH website. Updates for this school year include: 

• Fourth graders are required to have two doses of hepatitis A vaccine with both doses received on or after the first birthday and separated by at least six months. 
• Ninth graders are now required to have one dose of Tdap vaccine on or after their 10th birthday. 
• 10th graders are now required to have two doses of varicella. A child with a positive history of the disease is considered immune and is exempt from this requirement. 
• 12th graders are now required to have three doses of oral and/or inactivated polio vaccine with at least one dose received on or after the 4th birthday. 

None of these are newly required vaccines; the changes reflect the fact that more grade levels are being added. 

While COVID-19 and flu vaccines are not required, DPH and the CDC continue to recommend that everyone 6 months and older receive their COVID-19 and flu vaccination to protect themselves and others. Flu vaccines for the current season typically become available in late September in many pharmacies, and an updated COVID-19 vaccine is also expected in the fall.   

During the past school year, there were 294 outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases reported from school and childcare settings, 290 of which were due to COVID-19 or influenza. The low number of other vaccine-preventable outbreaks shows the effectiveness of the vaccines required for attendance in schools and childcare settings. However, there were 1,023 individual cases of vaccine-preventable diseases other than COVID-19 and influenza reported statewide, indicating the risk these diseases pose to the entire community.  

“Although deaths and complications are not always reportable, we know these are avoidable consequences from these diseases,” said Dr. Linda Bell, DPH Health Programs Branch Director and State Epidemiologist. 

To help protect children from unnecessary exposure to contagious or infectious diseases, South Carolina requires that children and staff with certain diseases and conditions stay home from school or childcare while contagious. 

Each year, DPH also publishes the School and Childcare Exclusion List, which explains how long ill children and staff should stay out of school or childcare, and what is needed before the child/student or employee is permitted to return. The updated 2024-2025 list is available online in both English and Spanish. 

“We don’t want children to miss school because of illness, but it’s important to protect every child in the classroom by requiring those who are sick to stay home until it is safe to return,” Traxler said. “A very important step for keeping kids in school is preventing infections, and making sure your child receives immunizations and washes his or her hands often. These protective measures also help protect the entire community from disease spread.”  

To learn more about required and recommended vaccinations and school exclusion, visit dph.sc.gov.  

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