Ohio — Organizations across the U.S. will highlight the importance of getting vaccinated as they team up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s all a part of National Immunization Awareness Month beginning on Aug. 1.
What You Need To Know
- Doctors say very rare diseases like polio are just a plane ride away
- Parents are encouraged to have a discussion with their health care provider if they’re on the fence about vaccines
- Dr. Keating believes preventing small amounts of serious illness in kids and mild infections is worth it
Dr. Adam Keating, a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, said, “I think we forget about all of the diseases we can prevent from immunizations with these vaccine preventable diseases that really we haven’t seen very much anymore.”
Keating said the National Immunization Month is important for bringing attention back to protecting kids and adults against diseases, such as Polio following the first case appearing in the U.S. in an unvaccinated person recently.
“As connected as we are in the world right now, even very rare diseases like Polio are just a plane ride away,” Keating said. “And so it’s really important that people continue with their schedule of regular preventative vaccination.”
As kids get ready to go back to school, Dr. Keating notes that while prevention is important, he understands that there are some parents who are on the fence about if they want to get their kids vaccinated, especially with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Although it’s encouraged, he said he would encourage parents to discuss with their health care provider.
“We want this to be a shared decision making between all of us to provide the best care for their child,” Keating said.
Ultimately, Keating believes if we can prevent small amounts of serious illness in kids and mild infections, it’s worth it in the end.
