Get immunizations for school early

Oak Hill, WV (WOAY)  Schools are finally letting out for the summer, but it’s not too early for students to get their immunizations for the fall.

Newswatch asked an expert what parents need to know about getting their kids vaccinated:

“As an emergency physician and health officer, I always remind patients that the easiest disease to treat is the one you never get.”

When it comes to making appointments for immunizations, doctor Steven Eshenaur at the Fayette County Health Department says that earlier is better:

“My recommendation is to go see your provider. Go ahead and make that appointment now… You can go to your local health department and receive those immunizations as well. For almost all children, they are no cost. The earlier you get them, the body has time to build up immunity prior to going into that school season when a lot of kids come together, and it’s really easy for them to spread diseases…”

Beyond meeting requirements to attend school, Dr. Eshenaur says that getting your kids vaccinated for diseases like measles and the flu will help protect them, their fellow students, and their family members.

“When kids are not vaccinated, they are putting themselves at risk. A biggie is measles, for instance… Measles outbreaks have been happening because there are groups of the population that do not have enough individuals immunized among the population to achieve what we call herd immunity…

And when this happens, it puts a lot of people at risk other than yourselves, because there are some that cannot receive the measles vaccination because of either an immunodeficiency disorder or a medication that they’re on. And those patients are particularly at risk if they do contract the disease; it can be deadly.”

To check what vaccinations your child needs, ask their doctor or your local health department.

“If an individual does not know what their current vaccination status is, they can always call their local health department, and they can look up their vaccinations through a network that is available through the health departments and see what vaccinations they have received and what is recommended for that particular patient.”