Starting next school year, incoming high school students in Montezuma County will be required to have two chicken pox, or varicella, vaccinations – a change from the previous requirement of one vaccination.

The change in dosage requirements is in response to high rates of chicken pox in Colorado school-age children, said Montezuma County Re-1 health services director Sue Ciccia.

“Now, every high school student has to have two,” said Ciccia. “That’s the one I’ve been trying to get the word out to parents about.”

The vaccine schedule is “stair-stepped” for students, Ciccia said, meaning that the first and second doses for some vaccines, including varicella, are spaced out over several years. In some cases, students miss the second required dose, and the new varicella rule is to ensure that students have the second chicken pox dose by high school.

According to the most recent vaccination data from Re-1 schools, the chicken pox vaccination rate for the district is 89 percent, slightly higher than the Colorado average. Statewide vaccination rates for varicella are 81.7 percent, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data, the lowest in the nation.

In addition to chicken pox vaccination changes, there are other new rules for the next school year, Ciccia said.

Incoming kindergartners need a fifth DTap vaccine (tetanus, whooping cough coverage), a fourth dose of polio, a second dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella protection), and a second dose of varicella (chicken pox protection). Incoming sixth-graders need a DTap shot.

Parents with religious or personal belief conflicts with vaccinations may file an exemption. Students who are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons may also file for an exemption, with a physician’s approval.

“We follow the letter of the law, but we don’t encourage them to come over and sign the (exemption) form,” said Ciccia. “Unless you have strong religious or personal beliefs or a medical condition against vaccines, it’s so important to protect your children.”

She says that parents will receive official notice of the 2015-16 school-year changes.

Parents with questions are advised to contact the school nurse, their family health-care provider or the health department for a shot review for school compliance.

For information, call the county health department 970-565-3056.