Don’t delay immunizations

An up-to-date child immunization record is typically required by Pennsylvania schools at the start of the academic year. But the state Department of Health quietly announced last month that it was temporarily suspending requirements for children’s immunizations for two months, until the end of October.

That has pediatricians alarmed about the potential spread of childhood diseases such as measles and mumps.

Health Department officials said the decision was made with good intentions, claiming the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for families to schedule regular checkups and vaccinations.

While the Health Department means to give families time to catch up without interrupting the school year, parents should follow doctors’ advice and strive to vaccinate their children before classes begin.

Routine immunization appointments have dropped significantly since COVID-19 surged in the U.S. in March. Parents are behind in getting their children vaccines protecting against measles, which saw the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992 last year, as well as mumps and chickenpox, which have also seen recent outbreaks.

Under state regulations, children who do not meet the list of required immunizations for their grade, excluding accepted excuses, must be excluded from school activities and cannot qualify for child care programs. Children could be granted a waiver of up to five days after the year started, or have the deadline extended if a doctor provided a medical plan.

Doctors are now afraid the new deadline conveys to parents that regularly vaccinating children is not a priority. They also worry that children will be more susceptible to coming down with illnesses that have coronavirus-like symptoms, causing disproportionate fear and confusion.

Many pediatricians insist that they’re prepared to see more patients and that parents should not hesitate to bring their children in to catch up on immunizations. Jonathan Miller, chief of the division of general pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., said they don’t want families waiting additional weeks to get vaccinations they could be getting now.

Parents should listen to what experts on children’s health are advising. The more that children return to school up to date on required immunizations, the less health risks for everyone.