DOH offering free vaccines

The North Dakota Department of Health has begun supplying tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines to health-care providers at no cost for any adolescent or adult in need of vaccination, according to Molly Sander, Immunization Program manager for the Department of Health.

The vaccines will be provided free for a limited time to local public health units and private health-care providers enrolled in the department’s Immunization Program. Health-care providers may charge a small fee to administer the vaccine to their patients.

Everyone is recommended to receive a booster dose of tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine at least every 10 years. For people younger than 65, one of the booster doses should be Tdap, which also protects against pertussis (whooping cough), to help ensure they don’t pass whooping cough to infants or get the disease themselves. In addition, a dose of Tdap is recommended for adolescents at ages 11 or 12 and is required for all North Dakota adolescents attending middle school.

Adults and Adolescents pass pertussis on to infants, which is why health officials recommend older individuals to be vaccinated. Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection that causes serious disease in infants.

Central Valley Health District in Jamestown anticipates scheduling clinics later in July, according to Marcia Bollingberg, unit administrator.

“We’ll schedule and publicize the clinics when we have the firm dates and amounts of the vaccine,” she said.

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