Some parents are rushing to have their children vaccinated as the school year begins.
About 91.7% of kindergartners met the requirement for the previous school year. Similarly, about 94% of seventh-grade students received the mandatory vaccines, falling short of the state’s goal of vaccinating 95% of those students. That’s according to data from the Florida Department of Health.
Pediatrician Lisa Gwynn is a professor at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. She has been a staunch supporterof child vaccination.
"It's important to protect your child, but also to protect the community at large because that leads to community immunity when more people are vaccinated."
Florida requires immunizations for students, covering tetanus, diphtheria, measles and polio.
Immunization forms are required to start kindergarten and again in seventh grade when additional shots are needed.