Free Tdap vaccination clinic held in Fresno Co.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Monday marks the first day of school for two of the biggest districts in the Valley, Clovis and Fresno Unified.

That means, time is running out to stock up on supplies and get your child the mandatory Whooping Cough Vaccine.

Hundreds of kids and their families were at Franklin Head Start. Not only did they receive free back to school supplies, but, they also had the chance to get the Whooping Cough and Tetnis Vaccine, which, is now required under California State Law.

From haircuts to bags of food, hundreds of Fresno Unified families took advantage of the free services offered during the back to school fair at Franklin Head Start.

"Everybody is running on a tight budget I feel, so we're out here trying to get what we can to save a little bit of money," Susan Gray said.

One thing seventh through twelfth grade students are required to get is the Tdap Vaccine. "I need a shot to be able to go to school," Matthew Whitright said.

It's the shot, designed to prevent Whooping Cough, a bacterial disease that can last for several weeks or even months.

"For them, being able to have this makes a big difference," Allysha Wilson said.

Before, kids had to have the shot by the first day of school. But, a law passed recently giving parents a 30 day extension.

Fresno Unified's Director of Health Services says, at this point, about 1/3 of the district's age-eligible students have met the requirement.

"The school nurses are reporting to me, they have stacks of immunization records at the schools, so we're working really hard, getting those in. We expect it to jump up high," Diane Torna said.

Saturday, the vaccine was provided for free at not only Franklin, but also Southeast Fresno's Olmos Elementary School and the Health Net Community Center in Downtown Fresno.

So, again, depending on what day your child started or starts school, you have exactly one month from that day to make sure they get vaccinated.

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