Meningitis shot to be required for children in public school, daycare

Posted 12/6/19

RIVERTON (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Health plans to add a vaccine to the state’s list of required shots for children in public school and daycare.

The list of required …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Meningitis shot to be required for children in public school, daycare

Posted

RIVERTON (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Health plans to add a vaccine to the state’s list of required shots for children in public school and daycare.

The list of required vaccines for public school children includes 12 different immunization substances, and the meningococcal ACWY vaccine is slated to become mandatory Aug. 1, 2020.

Meningococcal vaccination for children 11 and 16 years old is listed, until that date, as recommended by the Department of Health’s advisory committee on immunization practices.

Once the shot becomes a requisite, no child over recommended dose ages would be allowed to attend school for more than 30 days without it, unless his or her guardian submitted a religious exemption form validated by the state, or a medical exemption due to contraindication which demonstrated past adverse reaction to the vaccine contents.

Part-time school or daycare attendees would also be required to get the vaccine at the required ages, as would home-schooled children participating in school-sanctioned activities.

“This is a standard vaccine,” said Wyoming Department of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti. “It’s not new or exotic. It’s being recommended by national experts.”

Thousands of doctors across the country are recommending the vaccine, the department said. “We’re simply making a change (of) moving it from our recommended list to our required list,” Deti said.

While the formal public comment period has passed, Deti said the department is still receptive to public feedback, at wdh.immunize@wyo.gov.

For more information about meningitis, visit www.cdc.gov/meningitis.

Comments