Health department offers vaccinations for school kids across Mississippi

The Mississippi State Department of Health is holding a school immunization clinic in Warren County on Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31.

The clinic is part of a two-month-long, statewide effort to ensure Mississippi school children from ages 10 to 17 years old have all their required immunizations. In Vicksburg, the Warren County Health Department (807 Monroe St., 601-636-4356) is hosting the clinic from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days.

No appointment is required on these special clinic dates. The health department will have additional nursing staff available. Parents should bring a copy of their child’s immunization record.

Mississippi state law requires children to be immunized to attend public or private school, Head Start programs or day care. All students entering school for the first-time in Mississippi must be vaccinated.

If your child is entering the seventh grade, either by advancing or transferring in, a pertussis (Tdap) booster is now required unless your child received a Tdap vaccination after the age of 7.

Parents must provide their child’s school with a Certificate of Immunization Compliance (Form 121) from an immunization provider prior to school entry. If you have questions about which immunizations your child will need, check with your physician, the county health department or the state health department website.

The health department also highly recommends vaccinations against meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus (HPV) to protect adolescents. The risk of meningococcal disease rises in the teen and college years, and HPV vaccination protects against cancers later in life caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The Mississippi State Department of Health provides all necessary immunizations at low cost. Immunizations are free if you qualify for the Vaccines for Children program.

For a list of other clinic locations and dates, visit the Mississippi State Department of Health website.

For additional information on immunizations, including exemptions in Mississippi, click here.