Keep Your Preteen Safe – Vaccinate Them Today

Keep Your Preteen Safe – Vaccinate Them Today
Vaccines Available at County Health Departments in North Georgia

NORTH GEORGIA – Vaccinate your preteen today so they can have a healthy tomorrow.

In an effort to protect every adult and child, the Georgia Department of Public Health recognizes
March 11 – 15, 2019 as Georgia Preteen Vaccine Awareness Week. This week serves as a
reminder for parents to talk with their preteens and teens about getting immunized against
vaccine-preventable diseases.

Public health departments located in the North Georgia Health District in Cherokee, Fannin,
Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties encourage parents to make vaccinations a
priority. Vaccines protect children from the dangers of preventable diseases and are available at
health departments in each county. See contact information below.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health Rule (511-2-2), all students born on or
after January 1, 2002, entering or transferring into seventh grade and any “new entrant” into
eighth -12th grades in Georgia need proof of an adolescent pertussis (whooping cough) booster
vaccination (called “Tdap”) AND an adolescent meningococcal vaccination (MenACWY). This
law affects all public and private schools including, but not limited to, charter schools,
community schools, juvenile court schools and other alternative school settings (excluding
homeschool).

Vaccines are the best defense we have against serious, preventable and sometimes deadly
contagious diseases. They help avoid expensive therapies and hospitalization needed to treat
infectious diseases like influenza and meningitis. Immunizations also reduce absences both at
school and after school activities and decrease the spread of illness at home, school and the
community.

The CDC currently recommends the following vaccines for preteens and teens:

• Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap)
• Influenza (flu)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Meningococcal Disease (MenACWY)

Georgia Preteen Vaccine Awareness Week is an opportunity to raise awareness through schools,
health care providers and the media regarding preteen immunizations, particularly Georgia’s
pertussis and meningococcal requirements for incoming seventh-grade students. Speak with your
physician today to find out if your preteen is up-to-date.
For more information, click here.