COURT HOUSE – This month, as parents are purchasing new clothes, shoes, and school supplies, one more thing needs to be added to the back-to-school “to-do list.” Children born on or after Jan. 1, 1997 and entering grade 6 (or a comparable age level special education program) on or after Sept. 1, 2008, need to have received one dose of Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis) and one dose of a meningococcal-containing vaccine.

Cape May County Health Officer Kevin Thomas advises parents to make appointments now with their physicians to be sure vaccinations are up-to-date before the new school year.

“Making sure that children receive all of their vaccinations on time is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their children’s long-term health ― as well as the health of their friends and classmates,” stated Thomas in a release.

These new vaccination requirements are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics and are required by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services for school attendance.

Tdap was added to protect against pertussis, or “whooping cough.”

Pertussis is an acute respiratory infection with symptoms that can include prolonged cough, difficulty breathing, a “whooping” sound when breathing, and vomiting after coughing. Since the 1980s, despite high levels of routine childhood immunization for pertussis, the number of reported cases has increased steadily among young infants and among 11- to 18-year-olds and adults.

Adolescents can also serve as sources of pertussis for young infants, who have the highest risk of pertussis-related complications, hospitalization, and death.

The meningococcal vaccine helps to protect adolescents against meningococcal disease, a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States.

Meningococcal meningitis is a very serious infection of the lining around the brain and spinal cord that can cause long-term disability or death. Although rates of disease are highest among children aged over 2 years, 62 percent of meningococcal disease in the United States occurs among persons aged under 11 years.

Information on pertussis, meningococcal disease, and the two vaccines targeting these diseases can be found at www.immunize.org or www.cdc.gov/vaccines .