FISHERS — As students across Indiana gear up for a new school year with fresh clothes, new shoes and haircuts, health officials are reminding families not to forget required vaccines.
While students are excited to reunite with friends, health leaders are focused on preventing illness.
“As school nurses, we're gearing up, making sure everybody has all the T's crossed and the I's dotted to make sure our students are safe and healthy for the school year,” said Amy Hanna, director of health services at Hamilton Southeastern Schools.
Indiana law requires all public school students to be vaccinated with numerous vaccines at various ages to attend classes, though religious and medical exemptions are allowed.
According to data from the Indiana Department of Health, an average 6% of students reported as unvaccinated for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine alone.
“If they choose to do an exemption, then it has to be filled out every year,” Hanna said. “We're kind of the messenger between the state and the parents. So sometimes we're the bearer of bad news.”
Dr. Ethan Blocher-Smith with IU Health emphasized the risk when communities don’t maintain high vaccination rates.
“All it takes is one infectious case to get in,” Smith said. “And suddenly everybody has this easily preventable disease that we've been trying to effectively suppress.”
“That wall of protection from everyone else around them being vaccinated is the only way, aside from severe isolation or other extreme methods, to be able to help keep those people safe,” Smith added.
As kids catch up on back-to-school trends, parents are encouraged to catch them up on their immunizations as well.
“It’s hard to find the time to do it,” Hanna said. “But unfortunately, it has to be done.”
To find vaccination clinics near you, visit the Indiana Department of Health's immunization page.
