With students returning to classrooms, doctors say it is important to ensure that children are up to date with their routine childhood vaccinations.
“The evidence around vaccines is abundantly clear; they are safe, effective, and will help protect you, your loved ones, and your community from preventable diseases. If you have questions about vaccines, their safety, or effectiveness, please talk to your doctor. We are here for you, eager to answer your questions and ensure your family is protected,” says Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., president of the American Medical Association (AMA).
In an effort to promote a safer and healthier school year for all, the AMA is sharing these facts and insights about vaccines:
• Vaccines are safe, effective, and save lives. Routine childhood immunization is highly effective in preventing diseases throughout life, reducing the incidence of all target diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and chickenpox. For the U.S. population in 2019, vaccines prevented more than 24 million cases of disease.
• The benefits of vaccines can be quantified. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccinating children born between 1994 and 2021 will prevent 472 million diseases, nearly 30 million hospitalizations, and more than 1 million deaths, saving nearly $2.2 trillion in total societal costs, including $479 billion in direct costs.
• Vaccination rates have declined. Even before the rise of misinformation and false information about vaccines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy was growing, raising the risk of community outbreaks, which puts under-vaccinated and unvaccinated children at risk for severe diseases like measles. According to a CDC report from mid-January 2023, vaccination coverage declined in most states for all vaccines among kindergarten children in the 2021-22 school year compared to the previous school year, which was already below pre-pandemic levels.
• Talk to your child’s doctor. With the rise of misinformation about vaccines, it is essential to seek reliable, evidence-based sources for information. These sources can start with websites like getvaccineanswers.org, but should also include your child’s doctor.
Doctors can also answer questions about the new monoclonal antibody therapy, nirsevimab, available for infants and children under 19 months of age, for the prevention of RSV disease.
• Don’t let cost be a barrier. Programs like Vaccines for Children (VFC) are federally funded to provide vaccines at no cost for children whose families otherwise could not afford them. Parents can get more information by contacting their state or local health department.
“Make your child’s annual wellness checkup and immunizations part of your family’s back-to-school routine,” Dr. Ehrenfeld says. “Doing so will protect you and your family from various preventable diseases. It’s something I do with my own children, and I encourage you to do the same.”
Source: StatePoint