Even after an 18-month campaign to get students immunized, many 7th and 12th graders in Mercer County still didn't receive those vaccinations.
The deadline was extended until Monday, but the 160 students that had not been vaccinated, were excluded from class and sent home from school Tuesday.
"There were several, particularly at one school in the county," said Tom Chaffins, Coordinator of Pupil Services in Mercer County, "and it's very hard to understand why these kids didn't have their immunizations at this point."
The new statewide requirements for 7th and 12th graders went into effect at the beginning of the school year.
Chaffins said they exhausted all resources when it came to notifying parents.
"Short of texting individual people, yes, we used every form of media we know to use to be able to get the word out," said Chaffins.
Melody Rickman, with the Mercer County Health Department, said students were even given a 2-week grace period.
She says there's no reason not to get immunized.
"I think they knew they needed it," said Rickman. "And see, a lot of people think it's not important for my child to have immunization. Now, I think it's important for your child to have immunization."
According to Rickman, it's a protection for not only your own children, but also people that are immune-compromised.
She said younger parents haven't seen the devastation that her parents feared when she was a child.
"We are living in a society now where we haven't seen children blinded or crippled with meningitis or measles where they used to die," she continued.
Chaffins said most of the students that had to leave school are now coming back as soon as they can get proof of immunization.
He encourages you to contact your family doctor or county health clinic.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WVNS. All Rights Reserved.
