How can I find my child's immunization records?

North Carolina does not maintain a central registry of all immunization records; however, here are some tips for tracking down your child's previous shots.

• Check with all your child's previous health care providers. Don't forget visits to your local public health department or neighborhood clinic.
• Look through your old papers--sometimes immunization records are tucked away in a baby book, or included on school or camp medical history forms.
• Check with any schools or child care program your child has attended to see if they have retained a record of immunizations required for school entrance.
• Teens and adults, don't forget about any vaccines that might have been required for college entrance or a job.
• For tips in finding immunization records from other states, please visit this website: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/contacts-state-iis.htm

It is important to save any information you discover in writing, including the vaccine name (e.g., "MMR"), date given, and provider or clinic name. Any local health department or your immunization provider can provide you with a lifetime immunization record card.

Tips for reconstructing an adult's immunization history...

• Keep your immunization record in a safe place. You may need it throughout your life.
• Ask your parent, guardian or medical provider if he/she has any record of your childhood immunizations.
• Look through any old papers saved from your childhood, such as a baby book.
• Ask your high school, post-secondary school, college health service, or previous employers (including the military) for dates of any immunizations, if applicable.
• Understand that it is often not possible to find childhood immunization records of an adult. When you can't document having received a required vaccine in the past, you may have to be re-vaccinated. Receiving extra doses of these vaccines will not harm you. For a few diseases and/or vaccines, you can have blood tests to see if you are immune.
• For tips in finding immunization records from other states, please visit this website: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/contacts-state-iis.htm
• Document any information you discover in writing, including the vaccine name, date given, and provider or clinic name. You can download an adult immunization record card at www.immunize.org/adultizcards/adultizcard.pdf

For the future...

• Finding old immunization records is hard, and for adults, often impossible. To avoid having to hunt for old records and possibly repeating vaccinations that cannot be documented, make sure all immunization providers give you a written record of the vaccine(s) provided. Remember to bring your child's or your immunization record card to all medical appointments (you might want to keep an infant's record in his or her diaper bag, protected by a vinyl sleeve or zip-lock bag). If you maintain an up-to-date copy of your record, you'll be ready to document your immunization history whenever necessary!

Information contained on this page gathered from http://www.vaccineinformation.org/topics/oldrecords.asp.