With the start of the school year just a few weeks away, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is urging parents to make sure their child’s immunizations are up to date.

By law, California schools must review children’s immunization records to ensure that students have received all required immunizations for school entry.

Children entering kindergarten are required to be immunized against specific diseases, such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox and hepatitis B. Students entering the seventh grade are required to have a Tdap booster, which provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.

“Physicians and schools do an excellent job working with families to make sure children get the immunizations they need before they enter school,” said Dr. Charity Thoman, deputy health officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. “Making sure that children receive their immunizations is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their children’s health ― as well as the health of friends, classmates and others in the community.”

For more information about school immunization requirements, click here, contact your child’s physician, school nurse or the Public Health Department Immunization Program at 805.346.8420.

— Susan Klein-Rothschild is a public information officer for Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.