Community Health & Wellness

Immunizations urged as back-to-school season approaches

Public health officials are reminding parents to ensure their children are up to date on required immunizations before they return to classes next month. The messaging comes as vaccination rates on the Kitsap Peninsula and across the state have dipped since the pandemic.  

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Vaccination rates among students at Kitsap County schools hit a five-year low last year, according to  data from the Washington State Department of Health. During the last school year, 90.9% of K-12 students in Kitsap were up to date on their required vaccinations. That is the lowest total in nine years and down from a high of 93.7% in the 2020-21 school year.

Students in Pierce County have experienced similar declines. State data found 90.4% of students had completed all required vaccinations last school year, making it the third-lowest rate in nine years and down about three points from the 2019-2020 school year.

Vaccine misinformation, other factors

Keeping children up to date on vaccination is one of the most effective ways to keep them from getting sick, Jamilia Sherls, director of the Office of Immunization  at the Department of Health, said in a statement last month. 

“These vaccines help prevent illness, reduce missed school days, and protect classmates, teachers and family members — keeping our communities safer,” Sherls said.

Lynn Pittsinger, community health division director for the Kitsap Public Health District, said three main factors contribute to the lower vaccination rates. The first are barriers, including a shortage of primary care appointments; difficulty finding time, transportation or child care needed to get to an appointment; and hesitancy or misinformation around the safety and effectiveness of immunization. 

Rates can also be impacted by families or school districts not submitting documentation before the Department of Health runs its report, Pittsinger said. Some areas of Kitsap County have high rates of families moving in and out, which can make it more difficult for schools to maintain and report immunization records. 

“We encourage families to start scheduling immunization appointments now to be ready for the start of school,” she said. “Families can contact their regular healthcare provider or a community clinic such as Peninsula Community Health Services.”

Schedules and appointments

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children between the ages of four and six should receive:

• A fifth dose of the DTaP vaccine, for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough).
• A fourth dose of the polio vaccine.
• A second dose of both the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and chicken pox (varicella) vaccines. 

Between kindergarten and sixth grade, Washington requires its students to have: 

• Five doses of the DTap vaccine.
• Three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine.
• Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
• Four doses of the polio vaccine.
• Two doses for chicken pox (varicella) or proof of contracting the disease.  

Pre-teen students, starting at age 10, are required to receive a single dose of the Tdap booster, for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

Washington’s Childhood Vaccine Program provides free and low-cost vaccines to all children in the state under 19 years old. Providers throughout the Peninsula participate. Click here for a full list.

The Kitsap Public Health District is also hosting a Children’s Vaccine Clinic on Aug. 27 at its office in Bremerton, 345 6th Street Suite 300.