Get Your Child Ready for School with Vaccines
It鈥檚 almost time for your child to go back to school! Your child鈥檚 school may have sent a list of school supplies and things they will need this year. But don鈥檛 forget about getting the vaccines your child needs to stay healthy this year.
What Are Vaccines?
Vaccines are shots that help protect your child from getting very sick. They help the body fight off diseases before your child is exposed to them.
Some diseases that vaccines protect against are:
- Whooping cough (a bad cough that can make it hard to breathe)
- Meningitis (a sickness that can hurt the brain or spine)
- HPV (a virus that can cause cancer when kids grow up)
These diseases can spread quickly at school, on the bus, or during sports.
Why Are Vaccines Important?
Vaccines keep your child safe, and they also help protect others. If most kids are vaccinated, it stops diseases from spreading.
This helps babies, grandparents, and people who are already sick. That鈥檚 why most schools ask for vaccine records before kids can start.
What Should You Do?
- Call your child鈥檚 doctor or clinic. Ask, 鈥淒oes my child need any shots before school?鈥�
- Try to make an appointment as soon as you can. Doctors get busy right before school starts.
- If you have questions, don鈥檛 be afraid to ask. Doctors and nurses can help and explain things clearly. Many speak different languages too.
Need Help Finding a Doctor?
If you don鈥檛 have a doctor or need help finding one, we鈥檙e here to help. Call us today.
- CHIP/STAR Members:295.2294 or 1.888.760.2600 (TTY 7-1-1)
- Marketplace Members:295.6704 or 1.855.315.5386 (TTY 7-1-1)
- Medicare (D-SNP) Members:295.5007 or 1.833.276.8306 (TTY 7-1-1)聽
- STAR+PLUS Members:295.2300 or 1.888.435.2850 (TTY 7-1-1)