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Friday, September 03, 2010
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 Give Your Kids a Boost!  

Give Your Kids a Boost!Since 2007, NASN has worked to help raise awareness about the importance of up-to-date immunizations and routine health check-ups for school-aged children through the Give Your Kids a Boost! national educational campaign. 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends  immunizations that can help protect school-aged children against vaccine-preventable diseases, including pertussis (whooping cough). In the U.S., according to the 2008 National Immunization Survey (the most recent data available), adolescent immunization rates for routinely recommended vaccines has increased. However, there is still room for improvement.  For example, among adolescents aged 13–17 years, coverage with ≥1 dose of Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, acellular pertussis) has increased from 30.4% in 2007 to 40.8% in 2008. While this represents an increase of more than 10%, it also means that a large number of adolescents have yet to receive the Tdap vaccine to continue to help prevent whooping cough.

This year, NASN is continuing the Give Your Kids a Boost! campaign by providing educational resources about the importance of up-to-date immunizations to help support NASN members in their schools.  Please share these materials below with families and others in your communities.


 Materials Descriptions
 
R
esources for School Nurses
 

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) BackgrounderPertussis (Whooping Cough) Backgrounder
Information about whooping cough, including signs and symptoms, who is at risk, and tips on prevention.  



 

2010 School-Aged Vaccinations Fact Sheet2010 School-Aged Vaccinations Fact Sheet
Information about the shots that health experts recommend. 

 
Materials to Share with Families (can be reproduced)

 

Immunization ChecklistImmunization Checklist
An easy-to-use checklist to help families keep children's shots up-to-date. 
Includes information on vaccinations and the diseases they protect against. 

Tips to Help Your Child Have a Healthy and Happy School Year Tips to Help Your Child Have a Healthy and Happy School Year
A simple checklist of 10 things to help families have a healthy school year. 
[Also Available in
Spanish]

 
Katie WatsonAdditional Material

 
GlaxoSmithKline has provided funding, editorial and other assistance to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) for this campaign


 

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