Pa. Changing Policy On Mandatory Vaccines For School Age Children

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania is changing it's policy on mandatory vaccines for school age children. The changes mean if a child is not vaccinated properly, they cannot attend school.

Under current state law, parents can enroll a child for school and have eight months to get the required vaccinations: MMR, pertussis and others. The new regulations are different.

"The eight-month rule is replaced and would be supplanted by a five-day window during which parent would necessarily have to complete whatever vaccines are requested that are not completed at that point," said Doctor Steve Shapiro, chair of Pediatrics at Abington Memorial Hospital.

Shapiro says this is a wise decision because many times parents intend to have their child vaccinated, but don't. The new rules will also call for an additional pertussis vaccination in adolescence, and one meningococcal dose before 12th grade.