The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department will hold two additional walk-in vaccination clinics this month, to assist parents in complying with Montana House Bill 158, requiring additional immunizations for school age children.
The clinics will offer Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and varicella (chickenpox) immunizations for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
The additional walk-in clinics will be Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Wednesday, Sept. 23. Both clinics will be at the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department from 2:00 to 4:15 p.m. Visitors are asked to use the department’s main entrance on the north side of the building, located at 25 W. Front.
Immunizations appointments are available outside of the walk-in clinics. You can schedule an appointment from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Children under the age of 19 may be eligible for vaccines at low or no cost, through the Vaccines for Children program. To make a vaccination appointment for your child or to see if they qualify for the Vaccines for Children Program, please call the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department at (406) 497-5020 or your health care provider.
The 2015 Montana legislature revised school immunization requirements through House Bill 158. The law, signed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, is effective October 1 and requires that students be vaccinated against varicella disease, also known as chickenpox, and receive a booster of pertussis vaccine prior to grade seven.
Specifically, students in kindergarten through grade 12 need to have two doses of varicella vaccine. This rule does allow for evidence of immunity to the varicella virus – options include documented laboratory evidence of disease, or diagnosis or verification of a history of varicella disease or herpes zoster by a healthcare provider.
Tdap is required for students prior to attending grade seven. Students currently in grades eight through 12 who have not received their Tdap vaccine will require a single dose.
The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department encourages vaccinations and catch-up vaccines, such as Hepatitis B and A, meningitis and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For questions about these vaccinations, please contact the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department’s Public Health Division at (406) 497-5086.