The state’s Department of Public Health is asking parents to keep their children up to date on vaccines as the school year starts and polio has been detected in New York City wastewater. 

“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in missed well-child visits and immunizations,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “Recent surveys have shown a drop in the number of Connecticut kindergarten students who were up to date on required vaccines, a trend which could lead to cases of vaccine-preventable diseases linked to transmission in school if levels continue to drop.” 

Commissioner Juthani added that while the polio immunization rate for Connecticut’s kindergarten students remains high, that rate declined from 96.3 percent for the 2019-2020 school year to 95.2 percent for the 2020-2021 school year, a decrease of 1.1 percent. Connecticut state law mandates that certain immunizations be obtained for school entry.Recent wastewater samples taken in Connecticut and submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown no traces of polio. 

“Immunizations are safe and highly effective at protecting children from vaccine-preventable illnesses,” Commissioner Juthani said. “Vaccines prevent children from getting infections in school and from spreading them to their families and other children, including children with medical conditions that make them more susceptible to severe illness from diseases such as measles and whooping cough.”  

Parents are reminded to take the time to check with their child’s health care provider to make sure all vaccines are updated. School nurses also can tell you whether additional doses of one or more vaccines are needed. If you have questions about the 2022-2023 school immunization requirements, please contact your child’s school nurse or the State Immunization Program at (860) 509-7929 or via e-mail at dph.immunizations@ct.gov.