New vaccinations, required by Alabama law, for the 2008-2009 school term have been announced by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Laws require that students’ vaccinations be up to date and prior to attending school.

Now, students entering the seventh grade for the 2008-2009 school year are required to show documentation of either the date they had chickenpox disease or the date they received the varicella vaccine that protects against chickenpox.

Regular vaccinations already required are polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. The Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) vaccine is required for daycare, as well. Parents should present their children’s “blue slip” or Certificate of Immunization, which list the month, day and year that the child received their vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends that preteens and adolescents receive the following immunizations:

• Tdap: Immunization that protects against pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria.

• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4): Immunization that protects against invasive meningococcal disease.

• Human papillomavirus (HPV): Immunization that protects preteen and adolescent girls from cervical cancer in adulthood.

The Alabama Department of Public Health also strongly suggests that adolescents and college students be vaccinated. They suggest that all students headed to college be updated on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), varicella, and hepatitis A and B vaccines.

For more information on immunization requirements visit the Alabama Department of Public Health Web site at www.adph.org/Immunization.