HEALTH DEPARTMENT REVISES IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE

Children across the state will receive better protection against diseases as the Missouri Department of Health implements two changes in the childhood immunization schedule, said Dr. Coleen Kivlahan, director of the Department of Health.

Children can now receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the third-dose oral polio vaccine at an earlier age. These changes will simplify the immunization schedule and make it more convenient for parents by providing these vaccines at the same time as other child health visits.

"Physicians, local health departments and other health care providers throughout the state will be notified and encouraged to follow the new immunization guidelines," said Dr. Kivlahan.

The revisions, recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, advise health care providers to:

-- Administer the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine routinely to all children at 12 to 15 months of age.

-- Administer the third dose of oral polio vaccine routinely at 6 months of age, rather than at age 15 months.

By making it easier for parents to get their children immunized, the new changes should help to increase the number of children that are fully protected by age two.

"As we revise the immunization schedule, we also remind parents to be sure their child's immunizations are up-to-date before school starts next fall," Kivlahan said. A new state law bars children from attendance from school unless they have been fully immunized. In previous years, parents had 15 school days to get their children vaccinated after the first day of school.

Parents should contact their physician or local health department to make sure their children have been fully immunized. Any questions about the revised childhood immunization schedule should be directed to the Department of Health's Bureau of Immunization at 314-751-6133.