Vaccination clinic to be conducted at Fort Scott High School

USD 234 students will receive free immunizations at Fort Scott High School next week.

From 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, April 11, nurses from the Community Health Center in Pittsburg will conduct a free immunization clinic at FSHS.

The following five immunizations will be administered at the clinic:

* Td (Tetanus and Diphtheria) -- A vaccine used as booster doses for adolescents and adults. It does not contain Pertussis. Kansas School Immunization Law requires a Td booster every 10 years.

* Tdap -- It was licensed in 2005 and is the first vaccine for adolescents and adults that protects against all three diseases (Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis). The vaccine is not recommended for those who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of DTP, DTaP, DT or Td, an allergy to latex, a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or those who have epilepsy or other nervous system problems.

* Menactra (Meningitis vaccine) -- This vaccine is recommended for all children starting at age 11 and for those who will be attending college or living in a dormitory.

* Gardasil (HPV-Human Papillomavirus) -- This vaccine offers protection against the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer and is recommended for girls starting at age 11. It is an inactivated vaccine given as a three-dose series.

* Varicella (Chicken pox) -- This vaccine is recommended for adolescents age 13 and older who have not had the chicken pox. Two doses are recommended 4-8 weeks apart for those who have not had the disease.

USD 234 nurse Pam Brown said that of the five immunizations being given, students will receive just the ones they need. Around 56 students have been signed up to receive immunization shots at the clinic. Many of the students' parents signed their children up for the vaccines during parent-teacher conference last month. Brown said that because the students are under the age of 18, parents must sign a consent form before their child can receive an immunization.

Brown said that by having the clinic at the school during school hours, getting their children immunized is easier for parents.

"Having a clinic here at school is more convenient for parents, because they don't have to take off of work to take their kids to the doctor," she said.

Brown said that offering free immunizations is also a way of providing vaccines to children who may not otherwise receive them.

"Some of the students who have been signed up may not have received an immunization, because they are so expensive," she said.

Brown said the clinic is funded through a Smart Start grant that covers Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford counties. The grant was written by the Community Health Center, Brown said.

Parents can still arrange for immunizations by calling FSHS at (620) 223-0600.