Pennsylvania launches school vaccination tracker

Pennsylvania parents can now look up vaccination rates for their child’s school through a new state health department tool, according to WESA News and the Pennsylvania School Immunization Law Report website. The tracker went live by August 6 on the state’s SILR platform, a Department of Health system used for school immunization reporting. (apps.health.pa.gov) WESA reported the release on August 5 as families prepare for the school year and measles cases remain elevated nationally. CDC data posted last week showed 2,371 confirmed measles cases in the United States as of July 30. ### Where do parents actually find the new tracker? The Pennsylvania Department of Health directs users to its school immunization pages, and the public-facing SILR site is live at the state’s apps.health.pa.gov domain. Search results for the site identify it as “School Immunizations - pa,” and the page was published today, August 6. WESA reported that parents can check vaccination rates for an individual school rather than relying only on countywide or statewide figures. That makes the tool a school-by-school lookup, not just a general immunization information page. (wesanews.org) ### What data is Pennsylvania using for these school-by-school rates? Pennsylvania’s immunization reporting system is built on the School Immunization Law Report, or SILR, which schools use to file data with the state. A Pennsylvania Department of Health instruction packet says schools submit the report online and include students enrolled in kindergarten, seventh grade and twelfth grade, with homeschool students reported separately. (apps.health.pa.gov) A separate Pennsylvania school immunization procedure manual says all public, private, parochial and nonpublic schools, along with cyber, charter, special education and home education programs, must show proof of immunization for attendance under state rules. (wesanews.org) The same manual says the regulations were amended in 2017 and remain the framework for school reporting. ### Which vaccines are part of the school reporting system? Pennsylvania’s SILR site lists meningococcal vaccine requirements as part of the school immunization information tied to the system. The site says one dose is required for entry to seventh grade and another dose at age 16 or older counts for twelfth-grade entry. (apps.health.pa.gov) The state’s procedure manual says Pennsylvania school rules cover vaccines including measles, mumps and rubella, polio, hepatitis B, varicella and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis combinations, with grade-specific requirements for older students. Those requirements are the basis for the records schools collect and report. (apps.health.pa.gov) ### Why is the tracker appearing now? CDC data updated last week showed 2,371 confirmed U.S. measles cases in 2026 as of July 30, with 37 outbreaks reported this year. The agency said 94% of confirmed cases were outbreak-associated. (apps.health.pa.gov) Ohio officials have also been urging parents to make sure children are up to date before school starts. Ohio’s health department said the state had declared its third measles outbreak of 2026 after four linked cases in Ashtabula and Tuscarawas counties, all involving unvaccinated people, according to local reports citing the department. (apps.health.pa.gov) New York City Health + Hospitals issued its own back-to-school reminder on August 4, telling parents to schedule annual physicals and immunizations before the late-summer rush. (cdc.gov) The system said public school starts on September 10. ### What happens next for Pennsylvania schools? Pennsylvania schools already report immunization data electronically to the Department of Health each year, and a state webinar document says that reporting window runs from December 1 through December 31. (wkyc.com) That means the public tracker can be updated as new school-year filings come in. For families using the tool now, the next step is immediate: the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s school immunization pages link to the SILR system, where parents can check their school’s reported coverage before classes begin. (apps.health.pa.gov 1) (apps.health.pa.gov 2) (nychealthandhospitals.org)