news-record.com

Update: As of 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, about 2,140 sixth-graders still needed to be vaccinated, school officials said.

About half of Guilford County's sixth-graders may face suspension from school later this week because they have not provided proof that they received a state-required vaccination.

Beginning this year, the state requires every sixth-grader entering school after Aug. 1 or any student who turned 12 on or after that date to receive a tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap) booster if five or more years have passed since the student last received that vaccine.

Late Tuesday afternoon, about 2,700 sixth-graders out of about 5,400 in the system had not shown proof of vaccination, a Guilford County Schools spokeswoman, Jennifer Landes, said.

The deadline for students to present proof of vaccination from a doctor or health care provider is Thursday.

Students "can't just bring in a note from a parent," Landes said. "It has to be official."

Students who miss the deadline will be suspended until they provide proof of vaccination. Exactly how suspensions would be handled is left to principals at individual schools, Landes said.

The required combination vaccine protects students against three bacterial infections that can be deadly.

Tetanus, whose bacteria enter the body through cuts or wounds, is marked by involuntary muscle contractions. It is fatal in 10 to 20 percent of cases, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Diphtheria, marked by a thick covering in the back of the throat, can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure and death.

Pertussis (whooping cough) causes coughing spells that can last for weeks. It can make it difficult for infants to eat, drink or breathe and can cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage and death.

Diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person.

The Guilford County Department of Public Health is offering free Tdap vaccinations at clinics today through Friday.

Contact Lex Alexander at 373-7088 or lex.alexander@news-record.com