The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will offer free Tdap vaccine to students in grades 7 through 12 at one more public clinic scheduled before the school year begins. The clinic is open to students in both public and private schools.
The Tdap vaccine provides protection from whooping cough, which has been present in California in epidemic levels in the last year.
A parent or guardian must be present, and they are advised to bring any records of previous vaccines. The free immunization clinics are a joint effort of the Health Department, California State University, Long Beach School of Nursing and the Long Beach Unified School District. The vaccine is provided by the federal Vaccine For Children’s Program and the California Department of Public Health.
Free Tdap vaccine will be available Tuesday, Sept. 6 from 1pm to 3pm at Tucker Elementary School, 2221 Argonne Ave.
All students in grades 7 through 12 need to have a Tdap booster recorded in their school immunization record. The Tdap requirement was enacted into state law last fall and became effective July 1, 2011. One dose of Tdap after the age of 7 meets the school requirement. Schools in Long Beach began notifying parents about the upcoming Tdap deadline late last year and about 68 percent of students have already submitted their Tdap records. All students who have not already met the requirement will be asked for their Tdap record when they return to school.
More than 9,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in California in 2010, including 10 infant deaths. The number of cases was the most since 1947. So far this year, more than 1,900 cases of whooping cough have been reported. Most cases of whooping cough occur between May and November, so the start of school often brings additional cases.
For students who have not already had their Tdap, getting it as soon as possible will not only make school registration easier but it will also provide protection at the time it is needed most. For information about Tdap and other school immunization requirements, visit ShotsForSchool.org. For more information, call the Long Beach Health Department Immunization Project at (562) 570-4212.
