School Clinic Yikes! What's the government doing in here? I need a little privacy, please—I'm not feeling so good... You may not remember it, but way back when you were a little kid, you got a bunch of shots called vaccinations. You got these shots to help you fight off some seriously bad stuff—like smallpox, tetanus, measles and mumps. Never heard of these? Good—then your shots are working! The federal government has laws that say you have to have these shots before you can go to school. Is the government just mean? No—they do this to make sure you don't get a bad bug and pass it around to other kids or teachers. The government may also require special tests, such as hearing or vision tests, to make sure everyone is healthy and to catch any problems before they become serious. For some kids, this may be the only time they see a doctor or nurse.

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