By 1st Lt. Kathleen Eisenbrey
15th Medical Group
For parents, the month of August is preceded by a flurry activity including, but not limited to, purchasing children's school supplies and back-to-school clothing for the new school year.
For medical providers at the Hickam, Makalapa and Shipyard clinics, the month of August -recognized as National Immunizations Awareness Month (NIAM) - is the beginning of a season filled with immunizations and physicals for school aged children.
According to the Hawaii State Department of Health, children entering kindergarten through high school are required to have received vaccinations for DTaP (Diphtheria-Tetanus-Acellular Pertussis), Polio, MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella), Hepatitis B, and Varicella (chickenpox). Two doses of the Varicella vaccine are required if the first dose was administered after a child's thirteenth birthday.
For parents who desire to update their child's annual flu vaccination, the Stop Flu at School program offered through local schools is an excellent opportunity. Through this program, children enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade at a participating school are offered free flu vaccine(s) during a standard school day.
A complete list of schools participating in the Stop Flu at School program can be accessed at http://flu.hawaii.gov/SFAS_schedule.html.
According to the "Stop Flu at School's Summary Report" by the Disease Outbreak Control Division at the Hawaii Department of Health, a total of 66,230 school children, ages 5 to 13, participated in the program at 331 public and private schools during the 2010-11 school year.
Consent forms and additional information about the Stop Flu at School program will be distributed through participating schools in August. Parents are requested to complete the appropriate consent form (nasal spray or shot), sign, date and return the consent form to your child's teacher by September 7, 2012.
DoD beneficiaries who wish to obtain annual flu vaccinations may attend influenza clinics at the Pearl Harbor NEX on October 4 and 5 from 0900 to 1400 and at the Hickam BXtra on October 27 from 0900 to 1700.