DOH Leon Recognizes World Immunization Week 

Tallahassee, FL— The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) recognizes April 24-May 1 as World Immunization Week, and is reminding parents that is not too early for children entering kindergarten or 7^th grade in the 2021-2022 school year to receive vaccinations required for school entry or attendance.

DOH Leon is committed to boosting childhood vaccination rates in our community and helping families who may have fallen behind get back on track with their vaccines.

“While the world focuses on critically important new vaccines to protect against COVID-19, there remains a need to ensure routine vaccinations are not missed,” said DOH Leon Health Officer Claudia Blackburn.  “Many children in our community have not been vaccinated during the global pandemic, leaving them at risk of serious diseases like measles and mumps.”

Before entering or attending kindergarten, each child must provide a Florida Certification of Immunization (DH 680 form), documenting the following vaccinations:

4 or 5 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine*;

3 doses of hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine, 3, 4 or 5 doses of polio (IPV) vaccine*;

2 doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and 2 doses of varicella vaccine.                                                     

In addition to meeting all other immunization requirements, children entering, attending or transferring to 7^th grade in Florida schools must complete a Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) vaccine. 

An updated Florida Certification of Immunization (DH 680 form), which includes the Tdap, must be obtained and submitted to your child’s school.  Other vaccinations, including the meningitis (MenACWY) vaccine and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, are also routinely administered to children prior to entering 7^th grade, typically at 11-12 years of age.

Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s primary care doctor to schedule an immunization appointment.  The Leon County Health Department provides routine childhood immunizations on an appointment-only basis.  To schedule an appointment please call (850) 404-6403.

World Immunization Week, April 24-30, 2021, celebrated every year in the last week of April, aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.  

*Number of doses depends upon age when last dose administered and spacing between previous doses.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

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Submitted by:

Pamela Saulsby | Public Information Officer