Seventh-graders may need new vaccinations

Published 10:05 am Monday, August 18, 2014

ST. PAUL — Some students entering the seventh grade this year may need another round of vaccinations.

A new Minnesota state rule requires those students to show they’ve received the vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, as well as a bacterial meningitis vaccine.

The new requirements were approved last year to bring the state into line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and other public health groups.

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Whooping cough peaked in Minnesota in 2012 with more than 4,600 cases reported. This year, about 560 cases have been reported.

Health providers also recommend an immunization for the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, or HPV, beginning at age 11.

Parents can choose not to have their child vaccinated, but must provide schools with notarized medical or philosophical exemption forms.