If you or your child missed vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now is a good time to make sure your vaccine schedule is up to date. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is very important to ensure that people receive routine vaccines, especially during a pandemic. Protects people and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) strongly recommends that patients receive all necessary vaccinations as scheduled from their primary care physician.
Path to better health
According to the CDC, routine vaccination is an essential preventive care service for children, adolescents, and adults (including pregnant women) that should not be delayed.
Child welfare services are classified as essential services. This is because they help ensure that children are protected from diseases that require additional medical care. It is important to work with your doctor to make sure your family is up to date on their vaccines or that you catch up on your vaccine schedule in a timely manner.
Children need more vaccines than adults because they are strengthening their immune system. Periodically scheduled vaccinations should follow recommendations vaccination schedule. This schedule describes when children should be vaccinated against 16 diseases. It was developed by experts who study diseases. Delaying or distributing vaccines can put your child at risk of getting sick. The best way to protect them is to vaccinate them on time.
Parents with school-age children should make sure their children are up to date on immunizations before the new school year begins. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), national coverage with state-required vaccines decreased among kindergarten students by 2% between 2020 and 2022. An additional 4.4% of Kindergarten children without an approved exemption had their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine expired. COVID-19-related disruptions affected vaccination coverage, but coverage has not returned to pre-pandemic numbers since in-person learning resumed.
Adults need vaccines also, especially older adults. It is recommended that healthy adults age 50 and older get vaccinated against shingles. Adults age 65 and older should also receive a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PCV15 or 20) to protect against pneumonia. For adults who have a condition that weakens their immune system, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15 or 20) is also recommended. If you got the PCV15, you will also need the PPSV23 a year later. If you received the PCV20 vaccine, then the PPSV23 is not necessary.
Children 6 months and older and adults also need a flu vaccine every year. Getting a flu shot is even more important now, according to the CDC. This is because it can help reduce the chances of contracting a respiratory illness and transmitting it to other people who have weak immune systems.
Things to consider
For decades, children have received vaccines to protect them against diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, and whooping cough. Some of these illnesses may be mild, but others are dangerous and can even lead to death. All of them are highly contagious.
When vaccination rates decline, cases of preventable diseases increase. This has been happening in recent years with measles. As of July 7, 2023, the CDC has been notified of 18 confirmed cases in 12 US jurisdictions. That may not seem like much, but compare that to just 3 cases during the same period in 2022. By the end of 2022, there were 121 cases. Almost all of those cases could have been prevented with vaccines. The CDC urges all US residents to make sure they are up to date on their MMR vaccination, especially before traveling abroad.
Without vaccines, these diseases would spread rapidly and endanger not only children, but the entire community. Routine vaccination prevents diseases that cause unnecessary doctor visits, hospitalizations, and further strain the healthcare system.
There are many Common misconceptions about vaccines. Vaccines are safe, effective and save lives. There is evidence that childhood vaccines No cause autism. Side effects of the vaccines are mild and may include mild pain and tenderness at the injection site. Talk to your doctor if you think you or your child might be allergic to a vaccine.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Can my family receive vaccines if we are sick?
- Can I still get the disease after receiving the vaccine?
- Is my newborn at risk for certain diseases if he or she is not old enough to receive certain vaccines?
- What could happen if I don’t vaccinate my child?
- How can I make sure my family’s vaccine schedule is up to date?
