SALT LAKE CITY — Getting a shot isn’t fun, but vaccinations make modern schools far safer than schools our parents and grandparents attended.
“My mother had seen kids who end up in an iron lung with polio. She knew what measles looked like. She couldn't wait to get her kids vaccinated,” said Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of infectious disease medicine at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Pavia mentions polio and measles because he still sees those two old culprits as the first enemies to defeat in the march to a healthy school career.
“We're seeing measles outbreaks across Europe and in parts of the U.S., Pertussis is on the rise, so the standard vaccines are really critical. Make sure you're up to date on those,” said Pavia.
Why not COVID-19 first?
“Two years ago, when we had Delta and then Omicron, it was hitting children very hard. The hospital was filling up. We were seeing a lot of very bad disease. In these last six or eight months, severe disease in children has gone down a fair bit,” Pavia said, crediting a combination of factors including immunity from vaccinations and infections, and mutations in the virus.
While COVID could change again and threaten children differently, Dr. Pavia says the priority for parents going into the school year is to maintain the standard vaccines, get a flu shot, and then look to see where their child stands with their COVID vaccinations.
Most importantly, parents should make a point of annual visits to the pediatrician or family physician. The doctor will keep parents informed about what their children need in terms of vaccines, and they’ll monitor other health concerns as well.
If you are a parent and you aren’t sure how to get your child to a caregiver for vaccines or wellness checks, here are some good resources:
- VFC, the Vaccines for Children Program, offers free vaccines for children who qualify. (Link: Utah Department of Health and Human Services; VFC)
- CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, is always open for applications. (Link: Utah Department of Health and Human Services; CHIP)
- Intermountain Health runs school-based clinics providing a wide range of basic care. (Link: Intermountain Health School and Community Clinics)
- The University of Utah runs health clinics offering basic care, including one in the Rose Park area of Salt Lake City. (Link: U of U Population Health Clinic)
- Every part of Utah is served by a health district. Some cover one county and others cover a region. (Link: Utah's Public Health Data Resource)
You can also call United Way at 2-1-1, and they can refer you to sources for care.
