With COVID-19 worries overshadowing other issues as schools prepare to start, it would be easy to forget about immunizing our school children.
While there's only been one virus on our collective conscience over the past half-year, there are plenty of other nasty viruses and bacteria that we can control with vaccines.
And what about the students who will be distance-learning, either due to decisions of their schools or their parents? Can their immunizations be skipped this year? In a word, no.
There has been confusion and misunderstandings about vaccines. But vaccines are an important part of individual health as well as our collective health. Vaccines prevent the spread of contagious, dangerous and deadly diseases. These include measles, polio, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, diphtheria and HPV.
Smallpox killed an estimated 400 million people worldwide during the 1900s. It was also the illness that led to the creation of the first vaccine, which has eradicated the disease.
Unfortunately, there has been much misunderstanding and misinformation about vaccines.
To set the record straight, vaccines to not cause the illness they were created to prevent. They do not create harmful toxins. They do not cause autism. And they do not overrun an infant's immune system.
That said, there are people who should not receive vaccines, but you should consult and trust your children's doctor on what vaccines they should receive.
The Cole County Health Department is there to help as well. They can help with your child's immunization record to find out what immunizations are needed and they can provide routine immunizations during weekdays.
For more information, call the department at 636-2181.
While our country seeks a vaccine for COVID-19, let's not forget to immunize our children against other viruses and diseases as they return to school.
News Tribune