Immunisations offer safe and effective protection from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks. BCC strongly supports the use of vaccines to protect the health of our individual students and our campus communities. The college strongly recommends incoming students to review their vaccination history to ensure they have received and are compliant with Barbados’ Immunization schedule guidelines for adolescent/adult immunizations and their individual study programme requirements prior to starting classes.
In recognition of the vital role that vaccine coverage plays in community immunity and with the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases, in part due to factors such as un-immunised, under-immunised persons and global travel; the BCC discourages use of nonmedical exemptions to required vaccines. Persons who request nonmedical exemptions to required vaccines will require counselling from a Ministry of Health and Wellness clinician who would refer one for an Affidavit through the Supreme Court. Unimmunised students would also need to consider exclusion from school during outbreaks of disease-preventable diseases.
Disease outbreaks although much less common than sporadic disease occurrences, cause great disruption, emotional and financial burdens for campuses, students, and their families. Assuring compliance with the following immunisation recommendations is particularly important in preventing disease clusters and outbreaks on campus.
VACCINES TO REDUCE OUTBREAKS
INFLUENZA VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATION:
- College students at high risk of complications from flu due to asthma, diabetes, or certain immune-deficiencies; and students with contact with a high-risk individual.
- Students enrolled in health care professional programs should receive annual influenza vaccinations
MEASLES, MUMPS, RUBELLA (MMR) VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATIONS:
- All college students born after 1956 without lab evidence of disease.
- All health care professional students without other evidence of immunity should receive two doses of MMR.
- A 3rd dose should be given in a mumps outbreak when the individual is considered, by public health authorities, to be part of a group or population at increased risk
TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA, PERTUSSIS VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATIONS:
- All college students. One dose Tdap (adolescent and older, preparation of tetanus, diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis) for all individuals age 11-64 regardless of interval since last Td booster (7 years and older, preparation of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids).
VARICELLA VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATIONS:
- All college students without other evidence of immunity (e.g., a history of disease, two prior doses of varicella vaccine, or a positive antibody).
- All health care professional students with only one documented dose of vaccine or with a negative antibody titre should receive a total of two doses of vaccine)
OTHER VACCINES RECOMMENDED FOR ADULTS
The following vaccines are recommended for adults. College matriculation provides opportunity to assure that students receive the appropriate vaccines.
HEPATITIS B VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATIONS: All college students. In particular, students enrolled in health care professional programs, science, hospitality and physical education.
HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) VACCINE
MAJOR INDICATIONS: If not vaccinated previously: natal women through age 26; natal males through age 21. * natal=gender assigned at birth.