COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – With the start of the new school year fast approaching, health officials in Ohio Ohio They are urging parents to get their children vaccinated, and doctors say fewer children are being vaccinated while cases are rising.
On Tuesday, Ohio Health Commissioner Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff spoke about the importance of keeping children up to date on recommended childhood vaccines. He said: COVID-19 and influenza tragic cases of measles and other diseases; Whooping cough and Mumps.
Doctors said the new coronavirus and influenza remain serious health threats as the state sees COVID-19 cases rise from 1,000 a week to more than 3,000 a week, with cases prone to spikes in the winter months.
In Ohio too 7 cases of measles This year so far.
Dr. Vanderhoff said in the age of air travel, it only takes a short time for a virus to travel from one part of the world to another, making our children more susceptible to viruses that are spreading around the world.
He said these global viruses are a real threat to our children but it is proven that they can be protected against through vaccines.
“The good news is that these vaccines are very effective,” Dr. Vanderhoff said, “they’re very safe and have been around for a long time. The best thing parents can do is make sure their children get the recommended vaccines that are appropriate for their age.”
Dr. Vanderbilt said all of these diseases are vaccine preventable and advises parents to listen to their children’s doctor’s recommendations at their health checks this summer, which could prevent horrific consequences if their children do contract these global diseases, he said.
“It means children will become very sick,” Dr. Vanderhoff said, “children will suffer, they will be disabled for life, and sadly, in some cases, children will die. And we could have prevented that illness. That’s what drives our concern and our message and our plea.”
Vanderbilt said kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen to their lowest levels in decades nationwide.
He reiterated that the vaccine is safe and has been used for a very long time.
There are state regulations that parents must follow, but doctors said parents are increasingly providing evidence of exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children.
