Hawaii keiki immunization, health requirements as school nears

HONOLULU (KHON2) — We’re now three weeks away from the start of class for public schools in Hawaii, and that means for many students vaccine requirements are near. Dr. Jennifer Mbuthia, an allergist and immunologist with the Department of Health joined Take2 Tuesday morning to talk about what vaccines are required and what parents need to know.

For the start of kindergarten they will require the following vaccines to be completed:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccines (DTaP)
• Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccines
• Measles, mumps, rubella vaccines (MMR)
• Polio vaccines
• Chickenpox vaccines

Seventh grade is also an age where immunizations are required, as well as a physical exam.

• Human Papillomavirus vaccine (HPV series)
• Meningococcal (meningitis) vaccine
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis vaccine (Tdap)

“I get this question a lot and parents are concerned about potential side effects. The good news is that severe side effects are extremely rare for any vaccination, but any time you get an injection there’s mild side effects that you often times will come to expect. Things like some soreness, some pain, a bit of swelling at the site of the injection, and then some people may have a little bit of fatigue, maybe a little muscle aches, may even have low-grade temperature for the first one or two days after immunization, but an important thing is if anybody’s had a severe allergic reaction to an immunization you should talk to your primary care provider about getting a referral to an allergist prior to receiving any future vaccinations,” Dr. Mbuthia said.

There are also other healthcare items and forms needed to start seventh grade.

• Tuberculosis clearance for kindergarten
• A physical exam within 1 year prior to the first day of school
• Medications that the school might be required to administer (if indicated)

For more information, visit the Vax to School Hawaii website.