New immunization rules for children take effect July 1
Starting July 1, Kentucky will have new immunization requirements for infants, toddlers and schoolchildren, including age-appropriate pneumonia vaccine for children up to 5 years of age and meningitis vaccine for entry to the sixth grade.
Additional requirements include a second dose of varicella vaccine for students going into kindergarten and sixth grade; one dose of tetanus-diphteria-acellular pertussis vaccine for students going into sixth grade; and a second dose of measles-mumps-rubella for children by the time they turn 6.
The new regulations bring the state more in keeping with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and with national pediatric standards. For more information about the Kentucky Immunization Program, click here. For a story from The Associated Press, click here.