DOH URGES PARENTS OF SEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS TO SCHEDULE WELL-CHILD VISITS

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging parents of students who will be entering seventh grade this coming school year to schedule a well-child visit as soon as possible.

Children undergo significant physical, emotional and social change as they approach adolescence. As children prepare to transition from elementary to middle school, ensuring their health and well-being through a well-child visit that includes a comprehensive physical exam is important.

Vaccines help protect children from serious diseases. Many children have not received vaccines since kindergarten, meaning some of the protection they had when they started school has declined. Additionally, an incoming seventh grader is now old enough to receive additional vaccines to prevent other serious diseases.

Staying current with immunizations safeguards children and helps prevent disease outbreaks in schools, contributing to overall health.

This is why Hawai‘i law requires all students to submit official documentation to their school indicating that they have received the required vaccinations and undergone a physical exam before the first day of school.

Before the first day of the 2025-26 school year, all seventh-grade students must provide official documentation of having received the following vaccines:

• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis vaccine (Tdap)
• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)
• Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV)

The vaccines can protect children from the effects of these diseases:

Tetanus

Tetanus enters the body through cuts or wounds. It causes painful stiffening of the muscles. Tetanus can lead to serious health problems, including being unable to open the mouth, having trouble swallowing and breathing, or death. The most recent case of tetanus in Hawaiʻi was reported in 2019.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is spread from person to person through direct contact with respiratory body fluids. Diphtheria can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death. No cases of diphtheria have been reported in Hawai‘i in the past 10 years.

Pertussis

Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” is a respiratory illness spread easily from person to person through the air. It can cause uncontrollable, violent coughing that makes it hard to breathe, eat, or drink. In 2023, three cases were identified in Hawai‘i that included the death of one young child. In 2024, that number jumped to 95 also including the death of a young child.

Meningococcus

Meningococcus is a bacteria that can cause meningitis through direct contact with respiratory body fluids. Infection is rare, but more common in group settings such as college dorms and with certain international travel. One case was reported last year in Hawaiʻi. Infection can quickly cause serious complications including death. Most recover; however, one in five can be left with permanent disabilities. Protection from vaccination decreases over time and a booster is recommended at age 16. Many colleges require vaccination.

Human Papillomavirus

Two of the most transmissible human papillomavirus (HPV) strains, spread through direct skin- to-skin contact, are also the most likely to cause cancer of the mouth, throat, cervix and other areas of the body. Vaccination can prevent these and other HPV strains. Eighty-five percent of people who are not vaccinated will get a strain(s) of HPV at some point in their lives. Individuals must get vaccinated before exposure to protect against cancers caused by HPV, even if the exposure is decades in the future. The DOH currently encourages all children to get two doses of HPV vaccine between age 9 and when they enter seventh grade.

Children new to Hawaiʻi schools must also complete a tuberculosis (TB) clearance form with their healthcare provider.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and youth have a well-child visit with their healthcare provider at least once a year.

Well-child visits allow healthcare providers to monitor a child’s growth and development while addressing physical activity, nutrition, health concerns and behaviors.

The Department of Health encourages parents to contact their children’s healthcare provider for more information or to schedule an appointment. Assistance in connecting with a healthcare provider can be obtained via a call to Aloha United Way at 211.

For more information about Hawai‘i’s school health requirements, visit www.VaxToSchoolHawaii.com.

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