As parents and kids go through that last-minute back-to-school to-do list, health officials recommend they add vaccinations.
A COVID vaccine is likely the most talked about, but that’s not the only vaccine parents should consider. Post pandemic health data shows some children are still behind in their regular childhood vaccinations.
COVID continues to surge because of new variants, but an updated booster is due by the end of August or early September. As for the other vaccines, double-check that the kids are up to date because schools aren’t required to check every year.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccination rate for kindergarteners is at 93%, a 2% drop. That includes areas of San Francisco, Oakland, Burlingame and Santa Clara County.
"That 2% might not seem like a lot -- about three-quarter million children at increased risk of getting things like measles," said Dr. Atul Grover, executive director with AAMC Research and Action Institute. "Now measles, we thought we had eradicated 24 years ago. Now we're seeing pockets pop up in areas where there were a handful of unvaccinated people."
Public school children in California are required to have vaccines for polio, hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella, chicken pox and the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine before entering kindergarten. DTaP and chicken pox boosters are required before heading into seventh grade.
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