{"id":7347,"date":"2020-08-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prd-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=7347"},"modified":"2025-03-20T22:17:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T22:17:26","slug":"back-to-school-vaccines-are-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/back-to-school-vaccines-are-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-school vaccines are still important during a virtual return to school","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Continued spread of COVID-19 in our communities has led public and private schools across Washington state to postpone planned returns to in-person learning and begin the 2020-2021 school year in a virtual format. But even though \u201cBack to school\u201d looks different this year for a lot of families, one thing hasn\u2019t changed: The importance of making sure kids are up-to-date on all their required vaccinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still recommending strongly that all the back to school health prep \u2014 which includes getting your kids’ vaccinations all in order and their health checks \u2014 continue just like you would in any other setting,\u201d said Michael Myint, MD, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist with MultiCare. \u201cEven if they’re physically distant mostly at home, they will come across other people, whether it be at the store or whether it just be in the neighborhood, and it’s really important for our kids’ health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to do everything we can to smooth the way to get our kids back to school,\u201d added Gretchen LaSalle, MD<\/a>, family medicine provider with MultiCare Rockwood Clinic \u2013 Quail Run<\/a>. Making sure children are up-to-date on vaccines now means there won\u2019t be a delay in getting them back in the classroom once in-person instruction resumes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the Washington State Department of Health states that all students must have all their required vaccines to start school \u2014 including students attending school online because of school changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Why vaccines?<\/h2>\n

Vaccinations, also called immunizations, are shots (usually) that children as well as adults get in order to be protected against certain illnesses, many of them very serious. Staying up-to-date on vaccinations helps keep children, families and communities safe from potential outbreaks of serious diseases. Unvaccinated children are more likely to catch and spread highly contagious illnesses such as whooping cough (also called pertussis) and measles.<\/p>\n

Since late March, when President Trump declared a national emergency due to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported a significant drop-off in routine pediatric vaccine ordering \u2014 indicating that U.S. children and their communities may face increased risks for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmunizations are the best defense against preventing many communicable diseases that can cause severe illness and death,\u201d said Roselynn Cuenca-Hodge, MD<\/a>, a pediatrician with Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Pediatrics – Evergreen<\/a>. \u201cWhile there\u2019s currently no vaccine for COVID-19, we cannot forget about those illnesses that we do have protection against.\u201d<\/p>\n

What vaccines does my child need?<\/h2>\n

\u201cBetween birth and 18 months, children receive a primary series of vaccinations,\u201d says Gloria Lowe, MD<\/a>, a family practice physician at MultiCare Eatonville Clinic<\/a>. \u201cAt ages 4 to 5, children get additional doses of MMR, DTap, polio and varicella vaccines, then more boosters at ages 11 to 12.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important follow the vaccine schedule set by your child\u2019s pediatrician for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cVaccines are recommended at certain ages to ensure the best immune response for the child,\u201d said Dr. LaSalle.<\/p>\n

For vaccines that require a series of shots, the purpose of the first shot is often to \u201cprime\u201d the immune system. It is the next shots in the series that protect the child from the disease they are being vaccinated against.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly getting one shot in a series \u2014 or waiting too long between shots \u2014 creates an incomplete immune response,\u201d said Dr. LaSalle.<\/p>\n

In addition, some vaccines due at these ages are also required by the Washington State Department of Health prior to the first day of kindergarten and sixth grade. Others, before preschool or entering child care. Children under 5 years of age must be vaccinated against Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine (PCV), though these aren\u2019t required for kindergarten through 12th grade entry.<\/p>\n

So, by the time your child enters kindergarten, required vaccinations will include:<\/p>\n