Back to school: Are your kids up to date on their immunizations?

Aug. 13, 2025

By Mary Wade Burnside

School starts soon in Monongalia County. Are your kids up-to-date on their immunizations?
In West Virginia, students generally receive back-to-school vaccines if they are new to state schools, before entering kindergarten and before the seventh and 12th grades.
“Vaccines are not only about protecting your child from the disease, but also stopping spread of the disease to other children — and teachers — in the school,” said Dr. Brian Huggins, Monongalia County Health Department’s health office and medical director.
According to West Virginia State Code, “No child or person may be admitted or received in any of the schools of the state or a state-regulated child care center until he or she has been immunized against chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough or produces a certificate from the commissioner granting the child or person an exemption from the compulsory immunization requirements of this section.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov), vaccines are among the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements” that aided in increasing life expectancy by 62% in the 20th century, from 47.3 years in 1900 to 76.8 years in 2000.
Not only do vaccines help individuals, but they also work to keep entire communities healthy too.
"Some children are born with immune disorders and are more susceptible to infection,” Huggins said. “They may also not be able to take some vaccines because of this illness.”
Vaccines provide herd immunity, Dr. Huggins noted. “That gives that child a fair chance to attend school without acquiring a disease that is more likely to cause them serious illness or death because of their condition."
Not only do vaccines prevent death, but they also keep individuals from having lifelong disabilities such as muscle paralysis, nerve pain or chronic breathing problems from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“People frequently ask what are the chances of dying from a particular disease, but that doesn't describe the whole picture,” Dr. Huggins said.
All vaccines used in the United States require extensive safety testing before they are licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
As for the schedule, children ages 4 to 6 years old should get their second dose of chickenpox, their second dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), their fourth dose of polio, and their fifth dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis/whooping cough (DTaP).
Teens and pre-teens should get three vaccines before the new school year: meningococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against meningitis and blood infections, or septicemia; Tdap, the adult vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough for anyone over the age of 6; and Gardasil to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV).
The CDC recommends Gardisil for those ages 11 and 12, but it can be given as early as age 9.
Also, the CDC recommends that just about everyone over the age of 6 months get an influenza vaccine annually. These are generally available at your pediatrician’s office, at area pharmacies and at the health department in the fall.
Go to this link to find out the specific requirements for attending school in West Virginia.
Schools are a prime venue for transmitting many vaccine-preventable diseases and school-age children can further spread disease to their families and others with whom they come in contact. Being vaccinated helps stop the spread of disease to family, classmates and others in the community.
“In addition to being vital for health, immunizations also lower school absences and the necessity of parents needing to stay home from work to look after a child,” Dr. Huggins said.