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September 9, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Districts Enforcing New Vaccination Law"
Allentown Morning Call (www.mcall.com) (09/07/02) P. B1; Averett, Nancy
A new Pennsylvania law requires all children entering kindergarten, first grade, and seventh grade to show proof of a chickenpox vaccination, or proof that the contagious disease has already infected them. About 50 students were sent home on the first day of school in the Northampton Area School District due to lack of proper vaccinations. This could be the result of parents believing the chickenpox vaccine is unnecessary since the disease is generally thought of as a common and harmless childhood illness; however, the illness is linked to about 100 deaths each year due to secondary infections in the skin or lungs, according to Patricia Gail of Bethlehem Pediatrics. Some parents fear that children who do receive the chickenpox shot will later become infected when immunity disappears, and research to determine whether a booster shot is required is still pending, although the vaccine has proven long-lasting, said Gail. Free clinics in numerous counties in the state aided parents in getting their children vaccinated to meet state requirements, though as of two weeks ago, 150 Bethlehem Area School District children still had no proof of vaccine or previous chicken pox infection.
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