LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As schools and communities start to reopen, many pediatricians report child immunization rates are the lowest they’ve ever seen.
“We don’t want another disease coming back into our community," said Cori Gadansky, executive director of Community Coordinated Child Care 4C, a local nonprofit.
It’s one of the many reasons Gadansky said her children are up-to-date on their vaccines.
“That was the best choice for my kids," she said.
Their vaccinations prevent potentially-deadly diseases, like measles and chickenpox. And with their schools possibly reopening soon, Gadansky said she wants to be prepared.
But, there’s a problem.
“This is a community emergency," said Kris Bryant, a pediatrician at Norton Children’s Hospital and the University of Louisville.
Amid COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Bryant said many people have avoided their doctor’s office. Those most at risk for preventable illnesses, she said, are children, with many of them now behind on vaccines.
“When immunization rates drop in a community, that community becomes at risk for outbreaks," she said.
“If we’re not getting the immunizations we’re likely going to see a lot more diseases than just COVID," said Tom James, chief medical officer at Wellcare of Kentucky.
“Does that concern you?” asked FOCUS investigative reporter Paula Vasan.
“As a pediatrician, it sure does," he said.
“More and more people are going to get sick," said Lacy Ochs, a doctor at East Louisville Pediatrics.
Doctors we interviewed said for vaccines to be effective at preventing certain diseases, achieving what’s called “herd immunity,” about 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated. But since COVID-19, they’ve seen that number dwindle, not just at their own practice but around the country.
“It’s really scary," Ochs said. “On average it’s about a 40 percent decrease.”
“That worries me. This started off in March and has continued to go down," said James.
To find out how much immunizations among kids have dropped, we dug through records we obtained from the state’s health department. They show for kids aged 18 and under, vaccine doses decreased on average by more than 56% between March and June last year, before COVID-19, compared to the same time this year, during the pandemic. It’s the latest data we received from the state’s health department.
Among kids under 18, we found 7, 8, 9, 14, and 15-year-olds had the most stark declines in vaccine doses from last year compared to this year, with drops at more than 70 percent.
“These numbers I think are a call to action," said Bryant.
Bryant said parents should call their doctor, and make sure their family is up-to-date on vaccines. And she said doctors should remind parents when their kids are due for appointments.
“So, that’s a lot of catching up to do.”
It’s important to know the numbers we obtained on child vaccine doses in Kentucky may not represent the full picture. It’s because providers have the option to report vaccine numbers to the state. Doctors we interviewed are imploring those in healthcare to make reporting that data a priority, for the safety of all of us.