Don’t forget immunizations for children

Nearly every conversation about how this pandemic will end involves the ‘v-word’: vaccine. The hope and projections for a successful vaccine to halt spread of the coronavirus influences not only public health projections but also fluctuations of the stock market and perhaps even elections.

The scientific search for this vaccine is a priority for every public health entity in the world. The White House has even given it a name — Operation Warp Speed — to inspire the fast-tracking of vaccine development and testing in hopes of bringing a rapid end to the global upheaval caused by this virus.

Less global and more local is another conversation about the importance of vaccines: As parents get ready to send children back to school in whatever form that takes, the mandate of childhood and teen vaccinations should not be forgotten or lost in the noise of other school reopening debates.

August, as the month that most children typically return to school, is National Immunization Awareness Month. The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians reminds all Pennsylvanians to make sure they are up to date with immunizations.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s school immunization regulations require that all children attending school are protected against the diseases which vaccines prevent. These vaccination requirements include a combination form for diphtheria and tetanus; pertussis vaccination; combination form for measles, mumps, and rubella; and meningococcal conjugate vaccine for entry into 12th grade, or in the school year the child turns 18.

“Although many questions still remain about schooling in the fall, parents should make an appointment now with their children’s pediatrician or family physician to receive these important vaccines as part of their annual well visit,” said PAFP President Tracey Conti. “This ensures the correct immunizations are administered, the required documentation is obtained, and that a trusted provider is available in the event of an adverse reaction.

“We appreciate patient concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and want to assure Pennsylvanians that it’s perfectly safe to visit their family physicians, especially to receive these vital vaccines,” said Conti.

New regulations that took effect at the start of the 2017/18 school year stipulate that without documentation of immunizations, students will be denied entrance to school.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human services is explicit: Immunizations can save your child’s life. Diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and others are close to extinction — primarily due to safe and effective vaccines. Polio was once America’s most-feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, but today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of polio in the United States.

Smallpox vaccination eradicated that disease worldwide. By vaccinating children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen in the United States.

Immunization also protects others, a reminder that rings true at a time when a new virus has demonstrated how fast and lethal contagion can be.

But vaccines are only effective when they’re utilized. In the past few years, the U.S. has seen resurgences of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) despite vaccinations to prevent them. Since 2010, there have been between 10,000 and 50,000 cases of whooping cough each year in the United States and about 10 to 20 babies, many of which were too young to be fully vaccinated, died each year.

The goal of vaccinations are that some diseases of today will no longer be around to harm children in the future.

That may in fact become the case with the coronavirus when a vaccine is successful against its spread. The continued spread of the virus, however, is a cruel reminder that we’re not there yet. The pandemic also underscores the importance of getting vaccine for diseases we can prevent.

In this time of uncertainty for families of school-age children, making sure vaccinations are up to date is something parents can control. Now more than ever, vaccination against disease should not be taken for granted or put aside. Make sure immunizations are up to date. Vaccines protect and save lives.