The Iowa Department of Public Health has made changes to the Iowa Administrative Code which will require a dose of Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) vaccine for all adolescents entering the 7th grade. This requirement will become effective at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. This new requirement is in response to the large increase in cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in the US and in Iowa in the past few years. Studies indicate that protection from pertussis received from vaccinations given before the child’s entry into school wanes after a period of 5-10 years which puts students in middle and high school at a higher risk for pertussis.
In order to protect more students and to make it easier to meet the new vaccine requirement, this year only, the Iowa Department of Public Health will purchase Tdap vaccine for adolescents in Grades 6-12. The Tdap will be administered by Ida and Sac County Public Health Departments at school based clinics during the current school year. All students in grades 6 through 12 will be eligible to receive one dose of Tdap at their school site regardless of health insurance coverage. This is a cost-saving service for the parents of the adolescents and will be a one-time only offer. A schedule of clinic dates for each school site will be announced once we have an accurate count of the number of students that will be participating. The current plan is to conduct the clinics in mid-April.
If your child has already received one dose of Tdap at age 10 or older, they do not need another booster. Please provide the date of that Tdap vaccination to the school nurse at the school site your child attends. You may need to contact your healthcare provider to verify that information.
If you have questions regarding to the consent or about the Tdap vaccine itself, please contact your school nurse or Horn Public Health at 712-364-7311.
