LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With so much talk centered around the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors say other vaccines are getting put on the back burner, especially for kids.
During the pandemic, the CDC said it's seen a substantial decline in pediatrician visits. Because of this, orders for childhood vaccinations dropped by about 11 million doses in the last year. Health providers say that's a concern for incoming kindergarteners and 6th graders who are required to be immunized against a list of diseases before heading to school.
Dr. Heather Felton is a pediatrician with Norton Pediatrics Germantown. She says it's important to check with doctors to see what vaccines your children may have missed this last year so we don't have other preventable outbreaks.
"I think what my worry is, is with some of these diseases, like Measles for example, you have to have a 90% vaccination rate in order to maintain herd immunity. So, if you drop below that, you run the risk of a Measles outbreak, which is not what we want on top of a COVID pandemic. Maybe you think, oh, we're getting through the pandemic and school's are reopening, and now school's closed because of a Measles outbreak. That's the last thing we want to have happen right now," Dr. Felton said.
She mentioned there are several changes in the vaccination requirements this year, including a booster shot for high school-aged students attending JCPS. Dr. Felton says the best time to get your shots, is early Spring before the summer rush sets in, adding it's never too late to get a flu shot if you haven't already.
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