Tag Archives: back to school

Prepare Your Child Before School Starts: New Changes in Vaccination Recommendations for the 2019-2020 School Year

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The new school year is around the corner. Now is the time to schedule your child’s annual checkup with their primary care provider. Make sure your child is up-to-date with all recommended vaccinations.

We encourage you to speak with your child’s doctor about all recommended age-appropriate vaccines.  South Carolina students in grades 5K to 12 in both public and private schools must be up-to-date on the following shots based on their grade level:

  • Hepatitis B
  • Polio
  • Varicella (chickenpox)
  • DTaP (tetanus, whooping cough)
  • MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
  • Tdap (whooping cough booster required before 7th grade)

“Unfortunately, vaccine-preventable diseases, such as chicken pox, whooping cough, mumps and measles still affect many children in South Carolina,” said Dr. Teresa Foo, DHEC Immunization Division medical consultant. “Up-to-date vaccinations are the best protection for our children against these diseases.”

You can also get your child’s vaccines at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) health departments. Call 855.472.3432 to schedule an appointment. For more information about school-related vaccinations, visit:  https://scdhec.gov/health/vaccinations/childcare-school-vaccine-requirements.

DHEC In the News: Hepatitis A Vaccinations, Back-to-School Vaccinations, DHEC Receives Grant for Congenital Heart Defects Studies

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news around South Carolina.

 

DHEC wants high-risk groups to get hepatitis A vaccine

CAMDEN, S.C. (Chronicle-Independent.com) The hepatitis A outbreak in South Carolina is driven by infections among people in high-risk groups, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is asking organizations and individuals who serve those populations to help prevent a more serious outbreak that could affect the general public.

 

DHEC encourages parents to get students vaccinated now in preparation for school

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WYFF.com) The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control issued a reminder for parents Monday to vaccinate their children before the school year begins, saying it’s one of the most important items on a child’s back-to-school list.

 

DHEC and partners awarded $2 million national grant for congenital heart defects studies

CHARLESTON, S.C. (MoultrieNews.com) The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control along with several partners are one of six groups in the nation to be awarded a $2 million grant for studying how congenital heart defects impact patients throughout their lives and identifying ways to support impacted families.

DHEC in the News: Immunizations, North Saluda Water Quality Enhancement

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Back to School requirements mean your kids may need new immunizations

(Columbia, SC – WIS) Back to school or back to germs?

August is “National Immunization Awareness Month,” according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. The goal is to not only remind parents of kids headed back to school about the importance or children getting immunized, but to also remind adults and seniors, too.

Third-grade has been added to the requirement for (2) doses of varicella. A child with a positive history of the disease is considered immune and is exempt from this requirement.

Fifth-grade has been added to the requirement for three (3) doses of oral and/or inactivated polio vaccine with at least one (1) dose received on or after the fourth birthday.

Eleventh-grade has been added to the requirement for (1) Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster. Tdap is routinely administered at 11-12 years of age; however, a dose administered on or after the seventh birthday will meet this requirement.-graders as they head back to school.

North Saluda Water Quality Enhancement Project Underway

(Marrieta, SC – Travelers REst Tribune) The project is part of a cooperative watershed planning effort headed by SOS and funded largely through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Nonpoint Source Program to address sediment in the North Saluda River and Saluda Lake. The plan will provide a targeted and effective strategy for installing projects to help control and minimize sediment runoff to the North Saluda River downstream to Saluda Lake, a drinking water source for the Easley area.

For more health and environmental news, visit our blog regularly.

Wash Your Hands!

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By Betsy Crick

Child-Washing-Hands

It’s back to school time!  Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs.

Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands. Make sure your children know the proper way to wash their hands.

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Washing hands is best, but if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.  Hand sanitizers are not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

No child under the age of three years old should be permitted to use hand sanitizer, and no child of any age should be permitted to use hand sanitizer without supervision.

For more information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website.