immunizations

DPH Reminds Parents to Make Sure Kids' Immunizations Are Up to Date

NBC 5 News

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is reminding parents to make sure their kids' immunizations are up to date with the start of the new school year and the detection of polio recently found in New York.

Officials said the pandemic has resulted in missed well child visits and immunizations.

"Recent surveys have shown a drop in the number of Connecticut kindergarten
students who were up to date on required vaccines, a trend which could lead to cases of vaccine preventable diseases linked to transmission in school if levels continue to drop," said DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani.

Juthani said that while the polio immunization rate for Connecticut's kindergarten students remains high, the rate declined from 96.3 percent for the 2019-2020 school year to 95.2 percent for the 2020-2021 school year.

Authorities said recent wastewater samples taken in Connecticut and submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown no traces of polio.

State law mandates certain immunizations be obtained for school entry.

"Vaccines prevent children from getting infections in school and from spreading them to their families and other children, including children with medical conditions that make them more susceptible to severe illness from diseases such as measles and whooping cough,” Juthani said in part.

Parents are urged to check with their child's health care provider to make sure all vaccines are up to date. School nurses can also tell parents whether additional doses of a vaccine are needed.

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