DARBOY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Doctors say staying at home during the pandemic doesn’t mean ignoring your kid’s check-ups. They’re reminding parents to keep their child’s vaccinations up-to-date.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says child immunization rates are plummeting in the U.S.
“We’ve definitely seen a decrease in the rate of routine vaccinations, actually, I believe in Oregon, there’s been about a 50% decrease,” said Dr. Abby Smolcich at ThedaCare Physicians Pediatrics-Darboy
Smolcich blames the pandemic.“COVID-19 has definitely been at the forefront of everybody’s mind, with how quickly it spread and how quickly it erupted and, you know, how scary it can be,” she said.
But fewer children getting their shots raises concerns about outbreaks of diseases a vaccine can control.
“Measles – there have been several outbreaks of measles, whopping cough, you know, there are these vaccine-preventable diseases that, unfortunately, when children get, can leave them with severe disabilities, even death,” said Smolcich.
ThedaCare pediatricians say they understand the hesitation that some parents have, bringing in their babies or toddlers in for immunizations, but they say they are taking every precaution possible to ensure that everybody who walks through their doors is safe.
Jason Keppler says he has seen the changes at the doctor’s office.
“We just took the kids to their primary care provider within the last two weeks,” Appleton parent Jason Keppler said. “Things have changed dramatically – they’re wearing masks, getting screenings of temperatures before going in and everything.”
Pediatricians say, for other parents, it may not even be the office they see as unsafe, but the vaccines themselves.
“There are a lot of people who are vaccine-hesitant,” Smolcich said. “That’s been an issue that has been ongoing for a number of years. Families are reading this misinformation, and coming to a conclusion that vaccines are not safe.”
Keppler isn’t one of them.
“I’m pro-vaccination, so yes, I do think it’s completely worth it,” he said.
Health officials say keeping on top of regularly scheduled vaccinations is also important, as some immunizations wane over time.
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