07/15/14 With school start dates only a month away for most Marshall County students, parents /guardians may need to make arrangements soon for needed physicals and immunizations.
Both Plymouth and Triton Schools will start on August 13, Argos Schools on August 14, and Bremen Schools on August 18.
Marshall County Public Health Nurse, Susan Lechlitner, said they are taking appointments for immunizations on Tuesdays and a few Monday dates.
As the start of school gets nearer, she said they might add additional times.
She said only children who are uninsured or qualify for health assistance such as Medicaid programs can receive immunizations at the Health Department. Students who are covered under private insurance plans must go to their private providers for the needed immunizations and physicals.
Required immunizations that are new for the 2014-02015 school year include 2 doses of Hep A vaccine for kindergarten entry and the meningococcal booster doses for students in grades 11 and 12 (if the first dose was received prior to the student’s 16th birthday).
Lechlitner said, “Immunizations are spaced with certain times in between.” According to Lechlitner, the Hep A doses for kindergarten aged students must be six months apart.
She said the majority of the children the 25-30 children per week they are seeing now who will be entering kindergarten have received the needed immunizations.
Lechlitner said, “When they hold registration at the schools is when we start getting a lot of phone calls.”
Carol Anders Correspondent
