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Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH)
2014-2015 School Year
Requirements & Compliance
1. Are there any new required immunizations for the 2014-2015 school year?
Yes. The new required immunizations include 2 doses of Hep A vaccine for kindergarten entry and the meningococcal booster dose for students in grades 11 & 12 (if the first dose was received prior to the student’s 16th birthday) for the 2014-2015 school year.
2. Are immunizations required for all children enrolled in school?
Yes. Students in all grades are required to meet the minimum immunization requirements. Immunization requirements extend to children ages 3 through 5 attending special education programs, child care, or preschool within the school building.
3. What information must be included on the physician’s statement to document immunization?
The statement must include the student’s name and date of birth, the vaccine given and date(month/day/year) of each immunization.
4. What is considered adequate documentation of an immunization history?
Adequate documentation is as follows: documentation from a healthcare provider, an immunization record from another school corporation, an immunization record in the Indiana Immunization Registry (CHIRP), or a printed record from another state registry. This documentation must include the month, day, and year for each dose of vaccine administered.
5. What is “laboratory evidence of immunity”?
Laboratory evidence of immunity is a blood test for disease-specific immune globulin that measures immunity to disease. This is often used to confirm immunity when immunization records are not available, or a parent reports a history of disease.
6. Who should interpret lab results for evidence of immunity?
Laboratory results for evidence of disease immunity must be ordered by a physician. The ordering physician is responsible for interpreting the results and determining adequate evidence of immunity based on current medical guidelines.
7. Is lab evidence of immunity acceptable for ALL school required immunizations?
No. Lab evidence is NOT acceptable for Diphtheria, Pertussis, or Tetanus.
Laboratory evidence of immunity may be used in place of immunization requirements for the following school required immunizations: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chickenpox, Hepatitis A & B, Polio
Serology testing for chickenpox can only be used to document history of disease
8. What is the four-day grace period and when can it be used?
CDC and ACIP allow a 4-day grace period. If a vaccine is given up to 4 days before the minimum recommended age for administration of the vaccine, it can be counted as valid. However, this does not apply to every vaccine and does not change the recommended schedule for routine vaccine administration. The 4-day grace period does not apply to the minimum 28-day interval between 2 live virus vaccines (MMR, LAIV and Varicella).
9. What is the minimum age for MMR vaccine to be counted as a valid dose?
For the MMR to be counted as a valid dose, it must have been given on or after the first birthday. The four day grace period is applicable to MMR vaccine.
10. When are 4 doses of Polio vaccine required?
Four doses of polio are considered a complete series. The fourth dose must be administered on or after the 4th birthday, and be administered at least 6 months after the previous dose for students in grades kindergarten through 3rd grade for the 2013-2014 school year. Three doses are acceptable for all grade levels if the third dose was given on or after the 4th birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose with only one type of vaccine used (all OPV or all IPV).
11. What are the minimum intervals for Hepatitis B vaccine?
The minimum intervals between vaccine doses are:
Dose 1 and 2 is 4 weeks (28 days)
Dose 2 and 3 is 8 weeks (56 days)
Dose 1 and 3 is 16 weeks (112 days)
Note: The minimum age for the 3rd dose of Hepatitis B vaccine is 24 weeks (164 days).
12. If there is an extended interval between doses of Hepatitis B, does the student need to start the series over?
No. The hepatitis B series should never be restarted or additional doses given due to an extended interval between doses. The student should just complete the series with the remaining dose(s) due.
13. May a chiropractor give a medical exemption for vaccination?
No. Only a licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) can provide a medical exemption. A nurse practitioner or a physician assistant under a physician’s supervision can also give a medical exemption.
14. What must a medical exemption contain?
A medical exemption is a physician’s certification that a particular immunization may be detrimental to the child’s health. It must state in writing that the child has a medical contraindication to receiving a vaccine. Many contraindications to vaccination are not permanent; therefore, a medical exemption should be obtained for the student each school year. As true medical contraindications to immunization are vaccine- specific, medical exemptions must be written for each vaccine that is contraindicated. There is a state form providers can use to submit a medical exemption for students.
15. What must a religious objection contain?
A religious objection must state that the objection to immunization is based on religious grounds. Each objected immunization must be specified. The objection must be in writing, signed by the child’s parent, and delivered to the school. There is no requirement of proof. To ensure the continued religious objection status for a student, schools must require written documentation of the religious objection each school year.
16. Is there a philosophical objection allowed in Indiana?
No. Indiana law only allows religious and medical exemptions.
17. If a child does not present an immunization record or is not up to date with his/her immunizations, may he/she enroll in school?
Yes. Indiana Code (IC 20-34-4-5) states that a child is not permitted to attend school beyond the first day without furnishing a written record, unless:
§ The school gives a waiver (for a period not to exceed 20 days); or
§ The local health department or a physician determines that the child’s immunizations have been delayed due to extreme circumstances and that the required immunizations will not be completed by the first day of school. The parent must furnish a written statement and a time schedule approved by a physician or health department; or
§ A medical or religious exemption is on file.
18. If a student received a meningococcal vaccine noted from an electronic medical record, how do I know if they meet school requirements, and how do I document this in CHIRP?
Most likely, the student received a dose of the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). There are 2 conjugate vaccines: Menactra (MCV4P) and Menveo (MCV4O). If the lot # is included on the record, you can determine which vaccine the student received. Menactra is a Sanofi Pasteur product and lot #’s typically begin with a “U”. Menveo is a product from Novartis and lot #’s begin with the letter “M”. If the lot # is not available, you may document the dose using either MCV4P or MCV4O; use MCV4P if the vaccine was administered prior to March 2010. Only doses of meningococcal vaccine administered on or after the 10th birthday meet the school requirements. Any dose of meningococcal vaccine administered prior to 2006 is the meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4). If a child received the meningococcal vaccine overseas, and the record does not specify MCV4, please contact the ISDH Immunization Division for further guidance.
19. If a child receives one dose of Varicella vaccine and then subsequently has chickenpox, is a second dose of Varicella vaccine needed?
No. The parent or physician will need to document the history of the disease.
20. Is a doctor’s statement required as proof of chickenpox disease?
§ For children entering preschool through 5th grade, a signed statement by a health care provider, documenting a diagnosis of varicella or verifying the history of disease, including date (MM/YY) is required. A child does not need to see their healthcare provider at the time of illness in order to request a verification of disease history. A parent can speak with their child’s healthcare provider to ascertain whether the child had chickenpox based upon the disease presentation and transmission. More information on assessing disease history is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/hcp/immunity.html
§ For children entering grades 6-12, documentation from a parent is sufficient. A written statement should include date of disease, a parent’s signature, and date of signature. (Example: If a parent cannot recall exact dates, something as simple as stating that disease occurred in the spring of 2000 is acceptable)
Schools do not need to verify the history of disease for students with current documentation in CHIRP.
1. How do I submit my report using CHIRP?
IC 20-34-4-6 specifies that schools are to submit a written report of vaccination data levels
Schools are now reporting their vaccination data levels using CHIRP; there is no need to submit a written report to ISDH with the use of the registry. Only students who are added to a school roster will be included in the annual reporting completed by ISDH. Parents must provide consent under FERPA prior to a student’s record being added to the school roster.
2. Do schools provide summary reports to ISDH on the immunization status of students in all
While all students enrolled in school are required to be up-to-date on all required immunizations, schools only provide summary data to ISDH on students enrolled in kindergarten, first, and sixth grades at this time.
3. If a child has an exemption on file, may he/she be counted as complete?
No. If a child has an exemption on file for any immunization, he/she must have the exemption reported in CHIRP.
4. Do schools need to report immunization data for all 6th grade immunizations?
Yes. Including varicella and Hepatitis B, MCV4, and Tdap.
5. What is the deadline for reporting school immunization data?
Student records must be checked upon enrollment for compliance with the school immunization requirements. Per IC 20-34-4-5, students should not be in attendance unless the appropriate immunization records have been presented to the school. For reporting purposes, data entered into CHIRP through February 1st will be included on the annual report for schools.
6. Does ISDH determine if a child is excluded from school for incomplete immunizations?
No. School exclusion is determined by the school corporation according to IC 20-34-4-5. ISDH strongly recommends adherence to this code.
7. What immunization education materials must be provided to the parents of enrolled students?
§ Meningococcal disease – All students (IC 20-30-5-18)
§ Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection—6th grade female students (IC 20-34-4-3). It is strongly recommended that this same information be provided to parents of enrolled 6th grade males.
8. Are schools required to collect the response form included with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection educational materials?
Yes. Schools are required to collect HPV response forms from parents of sixth grade female students under IC 20-34-4-6. However, forms should not include the students’ name and should not be returned to ISDH. Schools will complete a summary report of responses received from HPV forms and submit the report to ISDH. The survey can be completed online or on paper.
9. Are schools required to send parents information about Pertussis and the Tdap vaccine?
No. ISDH only recommends that schools send this information home to parents.
For additional questions, please contact the IN State Dept of Health Immunization Program