Dear Parents:
This letter is to inform you that beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, the North Dakota Department of Health School Immunization Requirements have been updated to require a second dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) for students entering eleventh or twelfth grade. This means your current tenth or eleventh grade student will need proof of two doses of MCV4 before returning to
school in the fall.
MCV4 protects against meningococcal disease. Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis, and possibly lead to death or permanent disability within hours of first symptoms. Meningococcal disease is contagious and can be very serious in young people.
Ideally, children should receive one dose of MCV4 when they are eleven to twelve years old and a booster dose on or after their sixteenth birthday. The first dose of MCV4 is required for seventh grade
entry. With recent rule changes, one dose of MCV4 is now required for grades eighth through tenth, if missed at seventh grade. Two doses of MCV4 are required for grades eleventh and twelfth.
Please schedule an appointment with your child’s health care provider or your local public health department today.
Sincerely,
Justin Fryer, Superintendent of Schools