The Department of State Health Services will be issuing an emergency rule effective today August 24, 2009, that will permit schools to provisionally enroll students that may not have had certain required immunizations. Under the emergency rule, students who are required to have, but have not yet received one or more of these three vaccinations may be provisionally enrolled in school through September 30, 2009. A student is not required to be vaccinated according to the schedule for the three vaccines until October 1, 2009.  The schedule for one or more of the vaccines may be delayed beyond October 1, 2009, for good cause determined by the commissioner of the department.

This emergency rule will delay the following requirements relating to meningococcal, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, and varicella vaccines:

1)      meningococcal vaccine;  

2)      tetanus/diptheria/pertussis (Tdap) vaccines for Texas students entering 7th grade and boosters for students entering grades 8-12; and

3)      varicella vaccine for students entering kindergarten and those entering 7th grade.

 

The full text of the rule will be linked to the department’s website at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/ once filed with the Texas Register. If you have questions about these immunizations, please contact DSHS at 1-800-252-9152.