Local Health Officers Urge Bay Area Families to Prioritize Immunizations in Back-to-School Preparations

Use the return to school as a reminder to catch up on recommended vaccines for children and for everyone in your household.

As children and families prepare for the upcoming school year, Bay Area health officials urge everyone to make sure your back-to-school checklist starts with getting your child vaccinated.

Vaccines are safe, effective, and a routine part of preventative healthcare. They protect against serious diseases such as measles, polio, and pertussis, which is also known as whooping cough.

"Vaccines are simple, easily accessible tools to protect yourself and limit the spread of preventable yet potentially dangerous diseases," said Dr. Noemi Doohan, the City of Berkeley Health Officer. "This long-standing global guidance has protected generations of people around the world, but it requires diligence to stay up to date. The more of us that vaccinate, the safer our community is as a whole."

Children in California are required to receive certain immunizations to attend public and private elementary and secondary schools, childcare centers, family day care homes, nursery schools, day nurseries, and developmental centers (pre-kindergarten facilities). Families are encouraged to:

• Check their child's vaccination records with their health care provider or through California's Digital Vaccine Record portal.
• Schedule well-child visits early and before the school year begins to avoid last-minute delays.
• Access low- or no-cost vaccinations through local public health clinics if uninsured or underinsured.

resources

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Healthy Children. Immunizations: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/default.aspx
• CDPH Immunization Branch. Resources for Parents / Guardians: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/School/resources-parents.aspx
• My Digital Vaccine Record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS): https://vaers.hhs.gov/

Health Officers endorsing these recommendations are from the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma, as well as the City of Berkeley.

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