Chicken pox vaccine now required for kindergartners

A new vaccination is required for kids who’ll be entering kindergarten or a licensed day care center this fall. Judy Bush, a registered nurse who’s the immunization coordinator at the hospital in Grinnell, says the chicken pox vaccine will be required for all children born after September 15, 1997. Bush says the chicken pox vaccine has been available for awhile, but it hasn’t been mandatory. Bush says folks think chicken pox is a “right of passage” in childhood, but it can cause death in severe cases.Bush says the chicken pox vaccine’s available at hospitals, clinics or doctor’s offices all over the state.