As New Hampshire children return to school in the coming weeks, they will be just as well-vaccinated as they have always been.
Since school vaccine rules are set by states and not the federal government, New Hampshire’s requirements have not been affected by the Trump administration’s attacks on the medical technology.
Some New Hampshire lawmakers attempted to weaken school vaccine rules this year, including one bill that would have tossed out all requirements, but all were defeated.
Vaccines strengthen the body’s natural immune system by training it to recognize diseases in advance.
As has long been the case, students entering public school in New Hampshire, as well as all Catholic schools and licensed day care facilities, must have up-to-date vaccinations for 10 diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, polio and hepatitis B.
Most require more than one dose, and several are combined into single shots, such as DTaP, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Doctors say there’s no reason not to get multiple vaccination shots at once rather than taking on the time and expense of multiple visits.
Children who don’t have proof from doctors of all vaccines can still start school under “conditional enrollment” when there is documentation that they’ve had at least one dose of each required immunization and an appointment has been made for the next required dose.
If you’re unsure of a child’s vaccine status, contact a local medical provider. Even if there’s no paper record of vaccines, many can be confirmed through laboratory tests.
Several other vaccines are recommended by pediatricians but are not required for school, including flu and COVID-19. Also recommended are RSV, a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and can be very dangerous for infants, and HPV, or human papillomavirus, for older children. HPV is passed through sexual contact and can cause several types of cancer.
Details of state requirements can be seen on the Department of Health and Human Services website.
