Sixth-graders required to receive TDAP booster shot before school starts
The TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) booster is a required immunization for all Virginia students enrolling in sixth-grade. Parents of sixth-grade students must provide documentation before the beginning of the school year that their children have either received the TDAP vaccination or a medical waiver from a physician.
Class schedules will not be issued to students without documentation of the TDAP immunization. “If you have not taken care of this, you are urged to contact your child's physician or the local health department as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for the TDAP immunization. If your child has received the TDAP booster, you need to provide documentation of that immunization to your child’s school as soon as possible,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Associate Director of Health Services Lavern Davis.
During the 2006 General Assembly, Virginia passed a new law requiring all sixth-grade students to receive a TDAP booster shot beginning the school year. The TDAP vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
Tetanus, also called lockjaw, causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can also lead to locking of the jaw so the sick person cannot open his mouth or swallow.
Diphtheria is a serious disease that causes a thick covering in the back of the throat and can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure and even death.
Pertussis, also called whooping cough, causes coughing spells so bad that it is often hard to eat, drink or breathe and can last for weeks.
Parents can schedule a TDAP immunization appointment with the Virginia Department of Health at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/Alleghany/Vinton/ or by calling 540-857-7800.
(Last updated 07/22/09)