Public Health Reminds Parents to Put Vaccines on Their Back-to-School Checklist

Childhood vaccination. Asian young woman doctor vaccinating little girl at home. Vaccine for covid-19 coronavirus, flu, infectious diseases.

Mecklenburg County Public Health is encouraging parents to make sure their children are up to date on their required vaccines ahead of the first day of school for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Aug. 25.  

“We want to make sure children have a healthy start to their school year by getting their vaccines to keep themselves and their classmates safe and protected,” said Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington. “It is especially important to get vaccinated before the start of school this year as we’ve seen a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough. Vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing these diseases but can take two weeks to become effective.”

All students must be up to date on their required vaccines by Sept. 24, 2025, or they could be excluded from school. Additionally, in the event of a measles exposure, if a child is unvaccinated or hasn’t had measles before, they may be excluded from school for 21 days or longer to prevent further spread and ensure safety.    

Last year, there was a confirmed case of measles in Mecklenburg County that was the first case of measles in North Carolina since 2018. One case of measles has been identified in North Carolina this year as many states across the country have seen larger outbreaks. Last year, there was also an increase in cases of whooping cough in Mecklenburg County.  

Vaccines are widely available at healthcare providers and retail pharmacies and covered by insurance. People can use the vaccine finder tool to find a location near them. Free or low-cost vaccine options for the uninsured are available at Mecklenburg County Public Health’s Immunization Clinic.  

Public Health will be offering additional clinic hours in September for school required vaccines on Saturday, Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Northwest Health Department (2845 Beatties Ford Rd.) and Saturday, Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center (430 Stitt Rd.). Evening clinic hours will also be offered Sept. 15 through Sept. 19 until 7 p.m. at the Southeast Health Department (249 Billingsley Rd.) and the Northwest Health Department (2845 Beatties Ford Rd.).