Walensky urged parents to make sure their children are aware of their vaccinations.
“Vaccinations during childhood are essential because they help to provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. During the pandemic, we saw a significant decrease in visits to children and therefore CDC orders for vaccinations in children fell by about 11 million doses – a significant and historic decrease, ‘Walensky said on Friday.
“As we work to get our children back to school, we certainly do not want to encounter other preventable infectious outbreaks, such as measles and mumps. Consult your child’s doctor after your child’s safe return to childcare programs or school. Make sure they are aware of their vaccines, “Walensky said.” If they do fall behind, they could be caught by following the CDC’s vaccination schedule, available on the CDC website. “
The CDC recommends that children get 14 different vaccinations against 19 different pathogens. Timing is important for many of the vaccines to create the strongest immunity.
Signs first surfaced in the spring of last year that vaccinations in children had been declining since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, one study published by the CDC in May found that the number of pediatric vaccines administered in Michigan dropped by as much as 22% amid the coronavirus pandemic.
These findings, less than two weeks after another CDC report was published, showed that vaccinations against children in the United States have been plunged since the pandemic began.