Keep Tdap Booster on Back-to-School List

Along with backpacks, binders, and pens, keep “pertussis vaccine” at the top of your back-to-school list. If your child will enter grades 7 through 12, you need to provide proof of the shot according to a state law.

Last month, both houses of the state Legislature approved a law that would give parents and students until 30 days after school starts to show proof of vaccination against whooping cough. Without it, they won’t be allowed to stay in school.

The new law actually grants a 30-day extension for the vaccination because an earlier law would have required students to be vaccinated by the first day of school. However, school and health officials found that many students around the state weren’t on track to have the vaccination by the first day of school.

The vaccine requirement aims to prevent another outbreak of pertussis—known as whooping cough—which surged to epidemic proportions in California in 2010. More than 9,000 cases of pertussis were reported in California, the highest number in more than 60 years. In a distinction we could do without, more than half of all pertussis cases in the U.S. occurred in California last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pertussis begins with coldlike symptoms—low fever, runny nose, sneezing and mild cough. The illness progresses to severe fits of coughing that can last for months and that can make breathing difficult. A high-pitched “whoop” follows the paroxysms of coughing. Highly contagious, pertussis was responsible for 10 deaths in California last year; nine of those victims were infants younger than 2 months old.

The required Tdap booster shot protects your child from pertussis, as well as diphtheria and tetanus. Most children had initial Tdap shots before starting school at age 5 or 6. The immunity from these shots wears off after several years, which is why the booster is required now.

Although some school districts are reporting a mad scramble, with more than half of their students still needing the vaccine, Saddleback Valley Unified School District is doing much better than that—at least at some schools. From 47 percent to 80 percent of students at SVUSD high schools have been vaccinated, says district spokeswoman Tammy Blakely.

As of Monday, is at the low end of the list, with only 51 percent of students having turned in proof of the booster shot. However, nearly 90 percent of students at have shown proof already.

If your child hasn’t had the Tdap booster, there’s still time, but don’t delay. Call your child’s doctor to check on availability of the Tdap booster. Appointments for a shot only are often quicker and easier to get than being seen for illness. 

The booster is available at many pharmacies, including Walgreens at 22477 El Toro Road, where the cost is $63.99. No appointment is needed.

Free Tdap boosters are available through the Orange County Health Care Agency, 1725 W. 17th St. in Santa Ana. Tdap clinics will be held every Thursday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. through Sept. 29, Saturdays Aug. 27, Sept. 10 and Sept. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesdays Aug. 20 and Sept. 13 from 5-7 p.m. Call 800-914-4887 for more information.

Bring proof of vaccination to your student’s current school so that office staff can input information on your student’s immunization record before school starts.

Even though the governor signed a 30-day extension, you’ll set a better example for your student if you turn in the paperwork in ahead of time. And your lecture about not waiting until the night before to study for a test or complete a project will carry more weight later on if you model the behavior now.