One required series of vaccinations are the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (TDAP) shots, which must be administered before the child starts school, and again when they are between 11 and 18 years of age; about 10 years after the first shot is given, according to Pam Brown, a nurse at Fort Scott High School and Fort Scott Middle School.

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The TDAP shot helps protect adolescents and adults against Tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Immunity to these diseases can fade over time, typically about five to 10 years, so periodic booster shots are needed to help keep children and adults strong, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to a related news wire report, the National Association of School Nurses has launched "Give Your Kids a Boost!", a national awareness campaign about the importance of whooping cough booster shots for preteens and teens. Organizers of the campaign encourage parents to talk to their child's school nurse or healthcare provider about protecting their preteen or teen from whooping cough, a serious disease that spreads easily.

More information on the awareness campaign can be found online at www.GiveYourKidsABoost.org.

Another vaccination that children are required to receive is the measles-mumps-rubella shot, which youngsters must also receive before starting school. It is recommended that young people also receive an influenza shot every year, and teens who are preparing for college should receive the meningitis vaccine, Brown said.

The vaccines are especially important for young people who have chronic health issues, such as asthma, because these children are more at risk of developing serious health problems or diseases in the future, she said.

Brown added that most area youngsters have already received the required vaccinations before the start of school, and continue to receive the vaccinations in a timely manner.

"We hold school clinics also, where they can get their shots," she said. "I think they're all getting them on time. During enrollment, we find out if the student has had the required shots."

Pediatric experts say that vaccines are the first and best line of defense to protect infants and children against the most devastating childhood illnesses, many of which can spread easily among unvaccinated populations.

The immunization schedule should also be followed, because delaying vaccines could leave a child open to infection when he or she is most vulnerable, and could reduce the effectiveness of a vaccine, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Before kids starts school, they need to be immunized against such illnesses as measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, polio, hepatitis, diphtheria, tetanus, meningitis, whooping cough, and others, according to the AAP.

According to the CDC, before immunizations were implemented, more than 13,000 people in the U.S. contracted paralytic polio; about 9,000 people died of whooping cough; and 6,100 people died of invasive pneumococcal disease each year, with many children developing long-term complications such as deafness or seizures.

For more information about vaccines and childhood illnesses, or to obtain a copy of the current immunization schedule, which identifies when infants, children and adolescents are most susceptible to infections by diseases and when vaccines will deliver the best immune response, visit the AAP Web site at www.aap.org, or the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov.