Hepatitis A and B shots are mandated for new school kids

Monday, Jan. 7, 2002 | 9:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- All children entering public and private schools for the first time in the next school year will be required to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.

The requirements, adopted by the state Health Board, go into effect on July 1, before the beginning of the school year in August and September. Children who must be immunized include kindergartners and transfer students -- about 30,000 children, Robert Salcido, program manager for the immunization program in the health division, said.

The health board added the vaccination requirements "to help reduce the incidence of these serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses among Nevada children," Salcido said.

Nevada has a hepatitis A rate of more than 21 cases per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 10 cases per 100,000 population.

Hepatitis A and B are two highly infectious and potentially fatal liver diseases and the most frequently reported vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, Salcido said.

Already 96 percent of Clark County children are being immunized against hepatitis B. In addition, many children older than 2 receive the hepatitis A vaccine through their child-care centers, Salcido said.

The state also provides free hepatitis A and B shots for children of low-income families.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has recommended vaccination for hepatitis B for children since 1991, Salcido said. Nevada implemented voluntary statewide hepatitis B immunization programs for children in 1992.

The state's immunization program for children, which includes the hepatitis vaccines, costs about $500,000 a year.

Parents may find a shot for the children could help the whole family, Dr. Trudy Larson, a professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, said.

"Parents should know that vaccinating their children against hepatitis A will also help protect themselves and other family members from this disease because young children often serve as a 'reservoir' for the virus, easily passing it to adults who are likely to develop symptoms and sometimes severe consequences," she said.

"Routine vaccination against hepatitis A and B is an important step in reducing the incidence of these debilitating diseases in our state."