Health department plans child vaccination clinics

Sept. 16--The Wilson County Health Department will hold Tdap and meningitis vaccination clinics for seventh-graders on two separate days in the upcoming weeks.

--Thursday, Sept. 21, 3 to 6:30 p.m.

--Thursday, Sept. 28, 3 to 6:30 p.m.

The clinics are by appointment only. Officials ask parents to bring their child's insurance information with them at the appointment.

A couple of years ago, the state implemented a requirement for all seventh-graders to get a Tdap -- tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis -- and meningitis vaccinations prior to the start of school.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, can spread easily through coughing and sneezing. It can also cause a bad cough that makes a person gasp for air after coughing fits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meningitis is an infection of the fluid and lining around the brain and spinal cord and can lead to brain damage, hearing loss, learning disabilities and even death, according to the CDC.

While many seventh-graders may have already received these mandatory vaccinations, there are still some who have not. For those seventh-graders who did not get their Tdap and meningitis vaccinations prior to the start of school, they now have 30 days to be in compliance, officials said.

If those 30 days pass and a student has not had those vaccinations, officials say he or she will not be allowed back to school until the vaccines have been administered.

The clinics are being held to help parents who can't get to appointments during the daytime. Appointments are also currently available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Call the Wilson County Health Department at 252-237-3141. The offices is located at 1801 Glendale Drive SW.

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