OHIO — Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff on Thursday encouraged families to get their children vaccinated ahead of the upcoming school year. 

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio schools ask students to have vaccinations to prevent them from getting 10 specific diseases

  • The number of children entering kindergarten with a full list of vaccinations declined in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years

  • Those who may not be able to get vaccinations due to insurance complexities can ask their local health department about the Vaccines for Children program

Vanderhoff said Ohio schools ask students to have immunizations to protect them from these 10 diseases:

  • DTaP/DT Tdap/Td (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis)
  • Polio
  • MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
  • Hepatitis B
  • Varicella (chicken pox)
  • MCV4 (meningitis) 

Vanderhoff said for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, the number of students entering school with a complete list declined, with around 10% of kindergartners not being fully vaccinated.

Vanderhoff added vaccinations for the 2022-23 school year had improved, and said the reason from the decline prior was probably from the COVID-19 pandemic, as many routine checkups were missed.

“That’s more than 12,000 children who were missing at least one required dose or had no immunization record on file during the past school year. This puts too many kids at risk of developing serious illnesses, illnesses that plagued earlier generations, but that, thanks to routine childhood vaccinations, are rarely even heard of,” Vanderhoff said.

Vanderhoff then pointed to the measles outbreak in Ohio late last year, which infected 85 children. Some had to be hospitalized. He also pointed to the polio outbreak in New York last year. 

“People forget how serious an illness measles is,” Vanderhoff said, but added it's not the only disease of concern. 

For those who may not be able to get vaccinations through insurance, the Ohio Department of Health works to supply vaccines free of costs through the Vaccines for Children program, which is federally funded. 

To ask about vaccines, contact your local health department. 

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