International Immunziations

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

So I have some students (Maybe two or three?) that have immunizations from other countries, one I'm guessing is from Canada and the other from Mexico, but their immunizations kinda confuse me. I tried looking online but I'm still not sure, do they do combo vaccines in other places or is it just that they are missing some vaccines?

For example: I have a student from Mexico, In Kinder, 6 yrs old. What I seen online, he has all of the Dtap, all of the Hep B, All of the Polio. But he seems to be missing one more of MMR (It says, Sarampion, Rubeola y parotiditis) and he doesn't seem to have any of varicella. Is he missing these or are these shots combo?

P.S, I'm from Texas.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

New students from Mexico seldom have varicella. Send them to your local health department office to have the immunization record transcribed and give them immunizations needed to start the catch up schedule and get enrolled.

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Specializes in School nursing.

I was just about to post the same thing! Great minds...

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I had a couple kids from Mexico this year too. I transcribed what I could (using google!) and sent it off to our county health nurse. She then could enter it all into our states database and she could see what they needed yet and we worked together to get them into the clinic.

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Specializes in CVICU, SchoolRN, MICU, PCU/IMU, ED.

I've had the same issue, being new to school nursing and not knowing the immunizations from the Caribbean I send them to the Health Dept. They get the shots they need and are set up on a schedule so the kids can start.

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

Do you send them to the department or can you give them a call and send it for them?

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Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
Oooh! Thank you!
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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Do you send them to the department or can you give them a call and send it for them?

Send them to the health department. It's their immunization rules so they are responsible for ensuring compliance in an instance like this.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i loves me some pink book. After a while, you get used to looking at the names and need to refer to it less. If the students are missing something I won't let them start, as getting them to get it once they've started then becomes a chore. Law states that provisional admission can be granted in my state to anyone with one dose of everything, but as OD pointed out, many of them don't have varicella, and I need a tb test to start too, so those two things usually prompt the doctor visit. I usually push for the physical then too, as that's also on a 30 day timeline and a royal pain to get once they start.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

That link is amazing! I could have used that when I spent a looooooong time deciphering a shot record from India. I LOVE THIS BOARD!!!

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Specializes in School.

Oh, my! Where have you been all my high school career???????????? Would have made my foreign exchange student immunizations easier to read.

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