By Alex Losson
Staff Writer
Private and public schools across California could seriously benefit from the state-mandated Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis Bill. This vaccination requirement will protect students statewide by requiring vaccinations or exemption forms for pertussis, or whooping cough.
California State Legislature recently passed Assembly Bill 354, which requires all students in grades seven to twelve to have a Tdap booster shot. If the student has already had the vaccination before the bill was implemented, he or she will not need to get a second booster.
Whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory virus that is found primarily in infants. It is also much harder to cure in adolescents and adults than in infants. The whooping cough epidemic has reached a 70-year high with over 13,000 cases reported in 2008 alone.
Another component of Assembly Bill 354 is the Personal Belief form. This form simply states that if a family does not believe in immunization, then the child does not need to get vaccinated.
However, if there is a pertussis outbreak at a school, exempt students will be promptly removed to prevent further illness. These exempt students will be able to return to school once the outbreak subsides, This is a justified and crucial step in quelling the spread of disease.
The Tdap vaccination plan is an important way for California to prevent the debilitating and sometimes deadly effects whooping cough has had in the past. It is critical to the health of California and Mira Costa to keep up to par with preventing today’s diseases in every way possible.
The Tdap vaccine has been licensed and available since 2005, which makes it much more reliable than many others. The vaccine was formulated to inoculate infants and toddlers, but in response to the recent outbreak, its use has spread to young adults.
The bill also allows leeway for those who do not believe in immunization, but with the consequence
of not attending school. However, this should not be a problem for most people because many drug stores sell Tdap boosters. According to the CDC, the only severe side effect of Tdap is the swelling of the arm, unlike the mandated HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) shots which can cause severe symptoms like seizures, hair loss, swollen lymph nodes and death.
Infants and young children are usually vaccinated, but the vaccine’s properties wear off dramatically
around pre-teen years. Requiring students to get this booster will ensure they are up to date on vaccinations and are properly immunized. It is also highly recommended but not required that teachers and staff get vaccinated as the disease could still spread easily.
Assembly Bill 354 is an important addition to California’s health and education system. Vaccinations may be hassles in the present but will surely benefit everyone in the future, creating a healthy and productive learning environment.
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