NATCHEZ — For children returning to school soon, the time to get vaccinated is now.

Mississippi schools require students to present evidence of vaccinations when they register for school.

With August fast approaching, many parents are getting their paperwork together.

Students attending school for the first time are required to have the following vaccines: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, which is combined into one vaccine known as DTaP; polio (IPV); hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); and varicella (chickenpox).

Students entering the seventh grade are required to receive the tetanus diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccination.

At the Natchez Pediatric Clinic, Jana Smith, a licensed practical nurse, said patients are required to have an up-to-date well visit before they can receive their vaccines. A well visit includes a complete physical and a hearing and eye test.

With the school year approaching, Smith said things are getting busy.

“It is like well visits all day every day,” Smith said.

In the Natchez-Adams County School District, where school begins Aug. 10, registration is well under way.

Steven Richardson, public information officer for the Natchez-Adams County School District, said students registering for school in the district for the first time need to have an MS Form 121 when they register, also known as a certificate of immunization compliance.

“For those who did not bring it prior to yesterday’s registration day they are still required to bring it before the registration can be complete,” Richardson said, referring to Tuesday’s registration event.

When vaccines are initially given at the Natchez Pediatric Clinic, Smith said parents are given a free version of the form. Afterwards, the form costs $5.

“They can call or they can just come by the clinic,” Smith said.

The form is also required at Cathedral High School, a private school where pre-registration forms first went out in November and school starts Aug. 6.

“They cannot start school without an immunization form on file,” Pat Sanguinetti, Cathedral High School’s principal, said.

However, sometimes time runs out before the school year starts. In that case, some schools accept temporary forms until they receive their vaccines.

Smith said a temporary form is an MS Form 121, which states the date the student in question will receive their vaccination.

At Cathedral, students can get a temporary form, but only so long as they are vaccinated.

“It’s our job to make sure we stay on top and get it to a permanent form,” Sanguinetti said.

But students have to show up for that appointment.

“If they don’t show up for that appointment, the school’s not going to let them back in,” Smith said.

For more information on immunization requirements, visit HealthyMS.com/immunizations.