Amended Immunization Regulation

Kentucky Department for Public Health

Amended Immunization Regulation

The following is a summary of the recent changes, effective June 21, 2017, to 902 KAR 2:060 Immunization schedules for attending child day care centers, certified family child care homes, other licensed facilities which care for children, preschool programs, and public and private primary and secondary schools, This amended Kentucky Administrative Regulation requires all children to have a current immunization certificate on file, contains the required immunizations schedule for attending, and has a process to obtain a religious exemption from the required immunizations.

  • One new age-specific immunization requirement and one booster dose requirement effective for the school year beginning on or after July 1, 2018:
    • 2-Dose Series of HepA (Age: 12 months through 18 years)
    • Quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) booster dose (Age: 16 years)
  • Homeschooled children are required to submit a current immunization certificate to participate in any public and private school activities (classroom, extra curriculum activity, or sports).
  • All vaccines administered are printed on the Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Immunization Status now including immunizations not required for school entry.
  • Religious exemptions shall be documented on a signed and notarized Commonwealth of Kentucky Parent or Guardian’s Declination on Religious Grounds to Required Immunizations. There will be a space for the parent or guardian to initial each specific immunization they are choosing to decline.
  • New versions of forms, effective June 21, 2017, can be found on Websites for the Kentucky Department of Education,http://education.ky.gov/districts/SHS/Pages/Immunization-Information.aspx and the Kentucky Immunization Program, http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/epi/Immunization.htm.
  • Out-of-state immunization certificates may be accepted if they meet the same age-specific requirements as outlined in this regulation.
  • A Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Immunization Status printed from the Kentucky Immunization Registry (KYIR) does not require a signature.
  • A licensed practical nurse (LPN) designee of a physician, local health department administrator, or other licensed healthcare facility may sign the Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Immunization Status.
  • School nurses and administrators can enroll in KYIR and print the Commonwealth of Kentucky Certificate of Immunization Status from the registry, and it will not require a signature.
  • Routine certificate reviews are to occur at enrollment in a day care center, kindergarten, seventh grade, eleventh grade, and for the 2018-2019 school year for twelfth grade; new enrollment at any grade; upon legal name change; and at a school required examination pursuant to 702 KAR 1:160.
  • A child whose certificate has exceeded the date for the certificate to be valid shall be recommended to visit the child’s medical provider or local health department to receive immunizations required by this administrative regulation. An updated and current certificate shall be provided to the:
    • Day care center, certified family child care home, or other licensed facility that cares for children by a parent or guardian within thirty (30) days from when the certificate was found to be invalid; or
    • School by a parent or guardian within fourteen (14) days from when the certificate was found to be invalid.

How is Hepatitis A spread?

Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill.

Contamination of food (this can include frozen and undercooked food) by hepatitis A can happen at any point: growing, harvesting, processing, handling, and even after cooking. Contamination of food or water is more likely to occur in countries where hepatitis A is common and in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or poor personal hygiene. In the United States, chlorination of water kills hepatitis A virus that enters the water supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) routinely monitors natural bodies of water used for recreation for fecal contamination so there is no need for monitoring for hepatitis A virus specifically.

Practicing good hand hygiene – including thoroughly washing hands after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food – plays an important role in preventing the spread of hepatitis A.

Contact your Primary Care Physician or Clark County Health Department to schedule your appointment for the HepA immunization. For more information, please call the Health Department at (859)744-4482.