We’re in the final stretch of the summer break which means, the back-to-school term is just around the corner. Before your child head to class, it’s important to check in with their provider to make sure that they are not falling behind on their immunizations since routine vaccinations are essential to keep everyone in good health.
Dr. Dan Beardmore, SSM Health pediatrician says, “illnesses like chicken pox, rubella, measles and mumps are preventable through vaccination”. Since these types of sickness can be serious enough which needs hospitalization or even lead to death, it is important to stay on top of the vaccine recommendations.
Getting immunized is also critical to the health of our community. If you’re not sure whether your child is up to date on childhood immunizations, then it can be checked through state immunization records or contact your child’s provider to see what’s needed to be fully immunized by the beginning of the school year.
Dr. Beardmore says, the risks of not vaccinating your child are important, often children are infectious before they even know they’re sick. In the case of chicken pox and measles, contagiousness happens before developing a rash. Children can go to school and unknowingly expose others to the disease and if any of the other children are not vaccinated, then they can fall sick as well. It can spread quickly within an entire community.
When it comes to the development of effective and safe vaccines, the CDC explains the systematic process. As for the recommended timing of vaccines, there is a standard list for families to follow. Hundreds of doctors carefully study each and every vaccine, before they approve it. From there, doctors and other medical experts weigh the safety if the vaccine and the risk of the disease to determine its inclusion in the schedule, as well as the timing of when children should receive the vaccine.
Vaccine schedules are designed to safeguard children based on how their immune system responds to a vaccine at several ages and how likely your child is to be exposed to different diseases as they grow. For example, young children and infants are mainly vulnerable to pertussis, or whooping cough, so they receive immunization against the virus early in life, with consistent booster doses as they age. For other diseases like meningitis, until adolescence vaccination doesn’t happen, since your child would be more likely to be exposed to the virus.
Parents and caregivers should talk with their child’s pediatrician, if they have any questions regarding vaccine schedule or specific vaccines.
