Deadline Looms for Pertussis Vaccination

In less than a week, students in the 7th through 12th grades who haven't received a booster shot for pertussis (whooping cough) won't be allowed to come to school.

It's a looming deadline for South San Francisco Unified School District nurse Bonnie White, who said that a large portion of students remain unvaccinated.

"We're not doing as well as we'd like to be doing," White said. "We have a little above 50 percent compliance, and we have about six days left to go.”

California is requiring all older students to get the booster for the first time this year in response to recent whooping cough outbreaks. Whooping cough is uncomfortable for adolescents and adults but deadly for infants, White said. Getting more people covered by the vaccine will protect babies who are too young to be vaccinated.

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. In South San Francisco, that window closes on Sept. 16, which is when schools will start excluding students who haven't had their booster shot.

White said students can get the shot at their family doctor or pharmacies at Walgreens or CVS. They can also make an appointment at a county health clinic.

Students who have received a DTP, DTaP or Tdap shot at the age of seven or older are covered for pertussis and don't need to get a new booster, White said.

After this year, only incoming 7th graders will be required to get the booster shot, but it's a hard push this year to get a huge number of students vaccinated, especially when parents aren't used to needing immunizations for older children.

"It's the biggest thing I've been involved in," said White, a school nurse since 1994.

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