As many as 50,000 Maryland students are out of compliance with immunization regulations, the State Department of Education said Thursday.
Public school students, the Education Department said, who have not demonstrated proof of immunization for hepatitis B and varicella (chicken pox) vaccine will be removed from schools after the holiday break. They will not be allowed to return until they are in compliance with vaccine requirements adopted by the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
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“No one wants to exclude anybody from school, but kids need to come into compliance,” said Chuck Buckler with the Education Department?s office of student and alternative programs.
Schools sent letters to families regarding changes in immunization regulations beginning in spring 2006 and certified letters were sent this fall to parents and guardians of students out of compliance, Education Department offcials said. They added that they?ve knocked the number of students listed as out-of-compliance from 100,000 in half since spring 2005 and delayed the initial mandatory compliance day for middle schoolers and ninth-graders from September to January, but now must act to pull children from classrooms.
Beginning in 2000, immunization for the hepatitis B and varicella vaccines were required by the state health department. The MSDE began requiring pre-kindergarten students that year to provide proof of immunization for hepatitis B and proof of immunization ? or a previous bout of the ?chicken pox? ? before enrollment. The Education Department added elementary grades each year to the immunization requirements and this year added the middle school and ninth grades.
Hepatitis B is a serious infectious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. It can lead to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer or liver failure. There is no cure for hepatitis B, but it can be prevented by vaccination. Varicella or ?Chicken Pox? is a highly contagious disease. It is usually mild in children, but it can be severe in adults and those with impaired immune systems. Donna Mazyak, an MSDE school health services specialist, said students not in compliance will be removed from classes Jan. 2, and notified by school nurses of their need for proof of immunization.
Some schools will have consent forms available for parents and offer immediate vaccinations on site. Mazyak said other schools have arrangements with community health centers to resolve the issue.
