Whooping Cough Vaccine Deadline Approaching

Students in grades 7 though 12 must now get the whooping cough vaccine to go to school.

California state lawmakers passed the new law last year, but it just went into effect July 1.

School districts have extended the deadline and given students a one-month grace period.

Valley school districts offer free clinics for those who qualify for free or reduced lunches. One mother appreciates the clinics, saying, “That’s great because it’s very expensive at other places.”

Raymond Cree Middle School Principal Tracy Piper said, “They’re students that we know may not be able to afford the vaccine on their own, so we provide them a way to get the vaccine in a cost-effective manner.”

The purpose of the immunization requirement is to reduce the spread of Whooping Cough in California. In 2010, doctors throughout the state saw the most cases of the illness in more than 60 years.

The Palm Springs Unified School District already recorded 50 percent of their students are up-to-date on their immunizations.

“We’re hoping that a large percentage of the students have already gotten the vaccine,” Piper said, “and we’re just waiting for proof of the vaccine at this point.”

Piper urged parents to get their children immunized by the end of the one-month grace period.

“We’re here to educate students, and if they’re not here for a month, they’re missing out on a whole month of curriculum,” she said.