Doctors in Kentucky and around the country said they fear low vaccination rates among children could contribute to another viral outbreak.
Since COVID-19, many parents have been fearful about bringing their kids to the doctor for routine visits. Some doctors said the result is even more scary: low vaccination rates among children.
Kris Bryant with Norton Children's Hospital said she's seeing it play out firsthand.
"We have about 40,000 kids who are behind on one or more vaccines," Bryant said.
It’s a number higher than Bryant, a pediatrician at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, has ever seen before.
“I feel a sense of urgency,” Bryant said.
Bryant said since coronavirus began intensifying in March, people have followed stay-at-home orders and avoided public places, and doctor’s offices have been one of them.
Bryant said her biggest fear as children miss getting vaccinated is that coronavirus could become one of many threats.
In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing routine orders of pediatric vaccines had plunged nationwide because of the pandemic. Bryant said the result is a possible comeback of preventable diseases, like measles and chickenpox.
“It is really impatient to take their child to the pediatricians office. It is absolutely safe to take them to the doctor’s office. Vaccines are important," Bryant said.
This afternoon, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack emphasized the need for child vaccines.
“Get your child into the pediatrician please," he said.
If vaccine rates get too low, doctors told us everyone could be at risk as “herd immunity,” also known as “community immunity,” weakens.
“And that really only works when somewhere around 95 percent of the people have been protected," said Lacy Ochs, a doctor at East Louisville Pediatrics.
She said she’s seeing kids delaying or missing their vaccines entirely.
“On average it’s about a 40 percent decrease," she said.
The main reason, she said, is parents worried about bringing their kids out in public amid a pandemic.
“So people are just nervous and a little hesitant to come into the offices," said Ochs.
In response, she said their offices are safe.
“We’re not using our waiting rooms," she said.
Like many other doctor’s offices, they’re making sure patients don’t come into contact with each other.
Health experts told us a rise in employment due to coronavirus is another reason vaccine rates among kids may be dropping, as people lose health insurance. But there is a federal program called Vaccines for Children that can help parents who are struggling.
Click on Vaccines for Children to see more.
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