House Bill 1316 Becomes Law

House Bill 1316 becomes law September 1, 2005. This law requires that children attending child-care facilities be vaccinated against invasive pneumococcal and hepatitis A diseases. This change will affect children attending pre-kindergarten, Head Start, or other early childhood programs.

Although the law mandates that the immunizations must be administered to the child on the date of first entry into the child-care facility, a child may be provisionally admitted if the required immunizations have begun and are completed as rapidly as medically feasible.

The pneumococcal conjugate (Prevnar) vaccine is required for all children aged 2 months through 59 months attending day-care facilities.

Children aged 2 years and older attending child-care facilities are required to have two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine separated by six to 18 months.

Please note: Children must be allowed 18 months from the date of the first dose to complete the hepatitis A series before a child-care facility can deny admittance.

(The above information is from the Texas Department of State Health Services)

For more details, please see www.dshs.state.tx.us

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