New Vaccine Requirement for 7th-12th Graders!Please see below for details.
Healthy Students Learn Better...
...and are more successful in school! The goal of the OCDE is for all students to succeed.The OCDE recognizes the importance of health and its relationship to learning; the goal is that our students experience wellness and achieve their greatest potential.
Coordinated school health programs, which include nursing and health services, promote health and wellness. The OCDE's mission is to serve students, schools, parents, and the community to promote optimal health for our schools and community. The OCDE provides the support our schools need to maintain a healthy environment that fosters learning.
The OCDE provides countywide leadership in School Health and School Nursing services as well as consultation and direction for the implementation and development of coordinated school health programs.
New Vaccine Requirement for 7th-12th Graders
A new school immunization law requires all students entering 7th through 12th grades in the 2011-2012 school year in California to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster called Tdap.
Pertussis is a very contagious respiratory disease that can be severe and last for months. The immunity received from either early childhood immunization or pertussis disease wears off over time, leaving older students and adults susceptible again to pertussis. Immunization with Tdap can protect students, schools and communities against pertussis.
The new requirement affects all students – current, new, and transfers – in public and private schools.
- For the 2011-2012 school year, all students entering into 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades will need proof of a Tdap shot before starting school.
- For 2012-2013 and future school years, all students entering into 7th grade will need proof of a Tdap shot before starting school.
Free Tdap vaccinations will also be available at a variety of community sites on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact location to see if vaccinations are provided for children and for other information. For locations and hours of clinics providing free vaccines for qualifying children please visit:
Community Tdap Clinics. To view locations of pharmacies providing the vaccine at a fee, please visit:
Tdap Pharmacy Locations.
The Orange County Health Care Agency will be holding special Tdap Clincs beginning in July. To view clinic schedule, please visit:
OCHCA Tdap Clinics