Immunizations for College kids!

Parents Forum
1

<p>I just spent the morning with my college bound son at the doctor's office getting more immunization shots for college.</p>

<p>I had NO idea that American kids needed more shots for American colleges (requirements differ for each state).</p>

<p>My son needed....
TB skin test (will be "read" in 48-72 hours)
hepatitis B shot (will repeat in a month and again in December)
meningitis shot (required for those living in dorms).
Tetanus shot</p>

<p>Of course, the college also wanted proof of all his "baby shots", etc.</p>

<p>this is just a "heads up" for the rest of you who might face the same/similar issue. Son couldn't register for classes until proof of these latest shots.</p>

2

<p>My kids had that hep series way back in Junior High. As for meningitis- you definitely want that one!</p>

3

<p>When we visited the local health department, they recommended all of those -- plus a booster of varivax (the chickenpox vaccine). my kids were not happy!</p>

4

<p>I think most states are requiring the meningitis vaccine before kids can live in a dorm. Kids age 15 and under all got Hepatitis B as infants (this year's seniors just missed that vaccine, but I went ahead and had my son vaccinated when his younger sister got her shots as a baby). The TB test is a new one one me, though... Mass just eliminated TB tests as a requirement to work in public schools a few years ago.</p>

5

<p>Just think of it as foriegn travel. ;)</p>

6

<p>The varivax shot is a tricky one. </p>

<p>Most experts say that young people this age should get a second shot, but the official authorities have not yet called for it. Therefore, if you get the shot at your doctor's office, your insurance may reject the claim. But if you can get it at your local health department, they may be able to give it for free. My daughter is going to get hers when she goes back for her second HPV (cervical cancer) shot in July.</p>

7

<p>We did chickenpox the old fashioned way. :p</p>

<p>Hep B is required in middle school in Texas. My kids have needed tetanus updates to work at the zoo. Meningitis was suggested but not required, but I have a rising junior and senior in college so that has probably changed.</p>

<p>Yes, the foreign travel shot list gets even better! Not to mention anti-malarial treatments and so forth.</p>

8

<p>Re Chicken Pox vaccine-
Our doctor told us that since the kids had CP when they were 6 & 7, they don't need to vaccine ever.</p>

9

<p>If someone has had the vaccine for chicken pox, is it good for the rest of their life?</p>

10

<p>I've heard the booster is recommended for chicken pox. I think my kids needed a measles booster in middle school, too. I had to have my measle shot again in the 1980s when they discovered that a group of kids had a substandard vaccine back in the 60s. There was a huge outbreak in Chicago where we were living at the time, and the neighbor across the street actually caught them since she worked in a hospital.</p>

11

<p>We did hep B back in middle school, and I got meningitis while in college (my doctors' office ran out when I went in early fall). I've never heard of getting the TB test, though. That's interesting. </p>

<p>I was one of the older kids who for some reason never got chicken pox (despite multiple exposures, including sharing a room with my sister who had it), so I got the vaccine when I was a teenager. I don't think they have a clear booster recommendation yet, correct me if I'm wrong.</p>

12

<p>Immunizations are a good thing, particularly for students living in crowded dorm conditions.</p>

13

<p>If you had the actual chicken pox disease, you are immune for life.</p>

<p>If you had the shot, you may not be. The scientific evidence is beginning to show that the protection is not lifelong. Therefore, an official recommendation for a second shot will probably be forthcoming soon. Some doctors are already giving it, even though the recommendation hasn't come out yet.</p>

14

<p>For girls, HPV vaccine is a good thing to have before college as well...</p>

15

<p>The only one I will have to get is the meningitis...the others either aren't required or I have already gotten to enter middle/high school. </p>

<p>Curiously, I got chicken pox twice as a child...the first case was very mild, though. The 2nd case sure wasn't....</p>

16

<p>Add to the standard list a prophylactic series for rabies for my daughter in her animal care major. While not mandatory, it was highly recommended. Even through our local health department the cost was $600, and the insurance wouldn't pay a dime.</p>

17

<p>Ouch on the price, but if I was going to be an animal care major, I would REALLY want the rabies vaccine!</p>

18

<p>Don't forget to consider the new vaccine against the cervical cancer virus.....something to consider.</p>

19

<p>Isn't that the HPV vaccine?</p>

20

<p>As I'm sure we're all aware, controversies regarding the safety and efficacy of all these vaccines continue to be discussed in the medical literature and the popular press.
The pharmaceutical industry naturally encourages universal vaccination with every available product. There is, I think, good reason to question that approach.
It's worth considering the pros and cons before injecting our kids with vaccines that as yet have unproven track records.
Here's a good site to check out (while of course maintaining a critical eye): <a href="http://www.novaccine.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.novaccine.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>