Schools

25 Percent of Students Still Need Pertussis Booster

Michael Glines, the district's health service technician, is optimistic that most students will get the shot before Monday to avoid being excluded from class.

With notices going out today warning that South San Francisco Unified School District students in the seventh to twelfth grades who haven't gotten a booster shot for whooping cough will be excluded from class, 25 percent of those students are still unvaccinated, said Mike Glines, the district's health service technician.

However, Glines was optimistic that most students would get the vaccine in time to avoid being excluded from class.

"We think by Monday, the fear of God is going to be in people, so we’re going to have very few exclusions," Glines said.

Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He added that just today, 30 to 40 students at one high school turned in forms certifying they had had the booster shot.

. Recent whooping cough outbreaks have caused a serious public health issue, and the disease can be deadly for infants and at-risk populations.

Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The deadline for the booster shot was originally the first day of school, but the state legislature approved a 30-day exemption for all school districts. 

Glines said that history bears him out in his optimistic assessment. In 1998, when there was a new requirement for students to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B, on the first day of school, 150 students at one school were noncompliant. By the end of the day, all but two were, he said.

"They’re waiting until the last minute, for sure," Glines said.


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