MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Back to school also means vaccination time.

Kindergarten-aged kids need to be vaccinated against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, tetanus, and Hepatitis B. Once students reach the seventh grade or age 11, they need an updated shot for tetanus, as well as one for meningitis. Around a teen’s junior year, they also need a meningitis booster.

Lacey McNichols, a Public Health Nurse at First District Health Unit, says they want students to get these vaccines to keep diseases and viruses out of the community.

“COVID was a prime example of when we didn’t have a vaccine,” McNichols explained, “and how the virus runs rampant throughout the community. But we have had these vaccines for many, many years, so we have almost everyone protected — and when everyone is protected, those viruses stay out of our community, and we don’t see any cases of those diseases in North Dakota.”

Contracting one of these viruses comes with some extreme consequences. Chickenpox, for example, can lead to the swelling of the brain or death. To prevent that from happening, you can get these vaccines from your primary physician, walk-in clinics, local public health departments, or even pharmacies.

“Vaccines are important,” McNichols concluded. “Vaccines are its worst enemy, again, because we don’t see these diseases a whole lot. But we still need to be protected from these diseases and viruses because they are still out there in the world, and with travel today, we are one plane ride away from measles hitting Minot, North Dakota.”

The deadline for your child to receive mandatory school vaccinations in North Dakota is October 1. If kids are uninsured or underinsured, the Vaccines for Children program and others can help with payments.

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