Immunization Branch Activities for
Hurricane Relief
in Texas
Hurricane Katrina’s devastation has generated in a huge relief effort for people coming
into Texas from the areas affected by the hurricane. The Department of State Health
Services (DSHS) Immunization Branch is taking the following actions to assist families
coming into Texas and workers going to the affected areas.
Immunization Requirements Relaxed for Students Displaced by Hurricane Katrina
The DSHS issued a news release on Tuesday, August 30, 2005, to announce that normal
immunization requirements for attending school or child-care facilities in Texas are being
temporarily waived for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Students who will be staying with family members, friends, or others in Texas will be
given a 30-day provisional enrollment. DSHS may extend the provisional enrollment
period depending on hurricane recovery progress in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
A special form developed for schools and child-care facilities to track students granted
the 30-day provisional enrollment has been posted to www.immunizetexas.com and is
also attached to this document.
Immunization Requirements for School and Child-care Facility Attendance in
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
The DSHS has developed a comparison chart of the immunization requirements in the
states affected by the hurricane and is attached. This chart will help determine the past
vaccination history of children that have attended child-care facilities or school.
Immunization Histories of Displaced Children
Efforts are underway to obtain data from the Louisiana immunization registry and make
that information available to as many provider types as possible. One option is for read
only access for regional and local health departments. Another option is to obtain a data
extract and put this information into ImmTrac. There may be legal issues connected to
these options. Information will be provided as it becomes available.
Local registries in Houston and San Antonio are working to obtain this data as well.
Immunization Recommendations
The DSHS guidelines for vaccine recommendations are:
For persons going to areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina:

Must be up to date on tetanus immunization. The recommended formulation is
September 2, 2005
tetanus-diphtheria (Td) or tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (TdaP) where
available.

Health care workers should be up to date on Hepatitis B immunization; if
not up to date, should receive a dose before going and then finish the
series on return.
For persons coming from areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina:

Bring up to date on tetanus immunization. For adolescents and adults, the
recommended formulation is tetanus-diphtheria (Td) or
tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (TdaP) where available. Children under 7
years of age should receive DTaP if a booster is needed.

Bring up to date all other routine childhood immunizations.
The CDC guidelines are also attached and provide the basis for these recommendations.
Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) for Hurricane Relief
The VISs for Td and DTaP for the Vaccine Depots will be shipped directly to each
Depot. The Vaccine Management Group and the Public information, Education, and
Training Group are working together to ensure that each depot receives those VISs so
they can distribute them with the vaccine.
Regularly enrolled TVFC providers can order the VIS directly from the PiET Group by
faxing the order to (512) 458-7288 and marking it Hurricane Relief VISs. This way
those orders will get priority. Please include the following information:
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Name, number, and language of VIS needed
Contact Person
Organization Name
Mailing and Physical Address/Floor, Suite, and/or Room # (if applicable)
City, State, Zip Code
Phone # in case of questions
Regional and Local Health Department Roles and Responsibilities
The DSHS is requesting regional and local health departments to serve as depots of
vaccine for the hurricane relief effort.
Health Service Regions will work with depots at the regional and local levels to process
their vaccine orders and submit their vaccine orders to Austin. Providers enrolled in the
TVFC should receive vaccine according to the routine process.
DSHS is authorizing depots to distribute vaccine to any entity vaccinating individuals
going to the effected areas or coming from the effected areas. All vaccines must be
administered under a physician’s order. Entities not enrolled in the Texas Vaccines for
September 2, 2005
Children program (TVFC) may receive vaccines by signing the DSHS Immunization
Branch Hurricane Relief Vaccine Agreement Form (copy attached).
The DSHS is responsible for tracking vaccines used during relief efforts to ensure
reimbursement. This will be done in two ways:
 Depots using Texas Web-based Integrated Client Encounter System (TWICES)
may follow the TWICES instructions attached. TWICES has already updated its
system to track these doses.
 Depots not using TWICES, providers and clinics enrolled in the TVFC that do not
use TWICES, and non-TVFC-enrolled entities will need to report usage on the
DSHS Monthly Biological, Hurricane Relief Project form, C-33.
Effectively immediately and until further notice, the new version of the DSHS Monthly
Biological and Hurricane Relief Project form C-33 (copy attached) is the official form for
both the hurricane relief effort and all providers enrolled in the TVFC. The depots must
fill in Column A on the C-33 when vaccines are distributed to non-TVFC entities. NonTVFC entities will complete Column E. If vaccine has not been used, return the unused
vaccine to the depot.
Both the DSHS Immunization Branch Hurricane Relief Vaccine Agreement Forms and
C-33 forms will be required. Regional and local depots must submit these forms to the
Health Service Region Immunization Program. The Health Service Region
Immunization Program will forward these to the DSHS Immunization Branch.
An optional spreadsheet for depots to use to track non-TVFC entities and the vaccines
given to them is attached. DSHS will not require a depot to provide this information to
Austin.
Provision of Vaccine Services
In addition to the vaccine services routinely provided in clinics, outreach efforts to Red
Cross shelters will be needed to ensure individuals are protected by routinely
recommended vaccines for children and adults as well as special immunization
recommendations from the CDC and DSHS.
September 2, 2005