Parents: Don’t miss your shot for vaccinations before school starts

Vaccinations can be scary for students, confusing for caregivers and wounding for the wallet. Here are some expert tips to make this year’s back-to-school madness run a little more smoothly. (Photo/Getty Images) What shots does my child need? How is that communicated? Children’s vaccinations vary by age. Elementary age students’ needs are very different from that of middle and highschoolers. The following shots are recommended for children between the ages of 4-18: DTap (Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough) Polio MMR (Measals, mumps and rubella) Chickenpox Flu (every year) Meningococcal conjugate vaccine HPV vaccine Tdap Monica Mitcham, the school nurse at Herron Prep Academy, recommends parents go online to the CDC’s official website and look through their extensive list. Parents can also call the Marion County Health Department at 317-783-2474 for more information. While the number of shots may be overwhelming, Mitcham wants parents to understand why students need them. “Those vaccines not only help against the conditions that they’re being vaccinated against, but it helps to boost their immune systems and help make them less susceptible to other illnesses as well,” Mitcham said. What if my student is afraid of being vaccinated? Communicating with your child’s school nurse about fear...