This article appeared on Yahoo. Read more here.
With children back in schools, keeping up on their vaccinations against multiple diseases is key to protecting them and as well as public health.
Although by no means a disturbingly deep dip, the rate of U.S. kindergartners with up-to-date vaccinations dropped during the last school year from 95% to 94%, according to a January report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC flags the decrease as troubling that vaccinations have not returned to pre-pandemic rates. Public health experts want to see rates increase, not drop, even by a small amount.
Anti-vaccine rhetoric that surfaced during the COVID pandemic could be influencing parents and their actions to get their children vaccinated. Or parents just fell behind because of health appointments being delayed during that time. Thirty states reported lingering COVID-19 — related impacts on vaccination coverage, the CDC said, mostly related to reduced access to vaccination appointments as well as local or school extensions of a grace period to get required vaccinations or because of provisional enrollment policies.
Now is the time for parents to check in with health providers to make sure their children have the required vaccinations to protect them and their fellow classmates during their development.
Minnesota stands as an example of how a disease believed to be of little concern because immunization successfully guards against it can show up again if shots are not administered. Last year 22 cases of measles were reported in the state.
Nationwide it’s a big concern that at least 250,000 kindergartners are not protected against measles, mumps and rubella via vaccine, according to the CDC. The MMR coverage for both the 2020 — 21 and 2021 — 22 school years was lower than that reported since 2013 — 14. Again, receding instead or improving.
If you have concerns about vaccinating your children, talk to your health provider. There is plenty of information available to assuage concerns about the safety and efficacy of immunizations. Rates need to continue to increase, not drop, to ensure the protection of as many children as possible.