5 vaccines every schoolkid needs

It's time to go back to school, and that means it's also time to make sure your kids are up to date on their vaccinations.

Though vaccines have become increasingly controversial in recent years, there are five vaccines kids must have by law if they attend a school or licensed child care center in Washington.

Vaccines are important because illnesses caused by diseases preventable with immunizations are lurking in Washington, said Michele Roberts with the Washington State Department of Health.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is one to watch: As of Aug. 15, 176 cases had been recorded in Washington.

Though that's about the same number of cases seen by the same time last year (200), many of the cases in 2009 were spread during winter high school wrestling tournaments earlier in the year, Roberts said.

"This year, we're seeing more cases in the summer, another important reason to make sure children's immunizations are up to date before they go back to school," she said.

In California, whooping cough was declared an epidemic in June after about 900 reported cases. As of Aug. 17, 3,076 cases have been reported in California, including eight deaths.

If the trends continue, California could see more cases of whooping cough than it has had in 50 years.

Whooping cough can be prevented through the DTaP vaccination, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

Measles, typically prevented by the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, is circulating on the West Coast, too.

In British Columbia, 84 measles cases were reported between March and May of this year, a dramatic jump from the five or fewer cases typically reported each year in the province.

Parents can choose to exempt their children from the back-to-school vaccination laws in Washington by signing exemption forms.

If an outbreak occurs, however, unvaccinated children may be excluded from school until the outbreak is declared over because unvaccinated children are at risk of getting the disease and can spread it to others, including unvaccinated infants.

To see detailed recommended vaccination schedules and checklists for all ages, go to www.doh.wa.gov/cfh.

If your health care provider is unable to provide complete immunization records, visit the state's CHILD Profile immunization registry at www.doh.wa.gov/cfh or call 800-325-5599.