BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- With just a few days until the start of the new school year, the Kern County Department of Public Health is getting ready with immunizations.

The department is urging parents to make sure their children are fully immunized before classes start.

The department says immunizations are a safe and effective way to help kids stay healthy by protecting them from serious diseases, such as Hepatitis B and Chickenpox.

Officials say these illnesses can spread quickly among children that have not been fully immunized.

"A lot of these diseases aren't as prevalent in our country anymore but in foreign countries they are very prevalent and people still travel to our country and they bring those infections here so its very important to protect our families from these diseases," said Nola Sweeney, Supervising Nurse with the department.

The immunization clinic is holding extended hours this week and next week for back to school at the Department of Public Health.