The school year begins soon for area students, and besides loading up on notebooks and pencils, parents need to get their children prepared with required vaccines.

State law requires incoming kindergarteners to have received vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles/rubella, varicella, and meningococcal. Pediatrician Dr. Cody Silker with Guthrie County Hospital and Clinics stresses the importance of getting vaccinated, “Well, because these diseases are awful and I don’t think people know that they are because obviously we have vaccines and we’ve never really seen them as much as I think in the olden days when there wasn’t. But yeah I mean you’re around a whole bunch of kids as you know germs and everything is all over and so just being protected against these diseases is just super important.”

Silker also recommends all adolescents receive an annual well visit. This includes a physical exam, and discussion of other health topics or anything that is troubling you or your child. For more information on student health requirements, visit here.