NORFOLK, Va. – Students across Hampton Roads logged on for the first day of school Tuesday, but just because they’re not going into the classroom doesn’t mean they don’t need to get their vaccinations.
News 3 medical expert Dr. Ryan Light explains why.
“Even if they're learning from home, those vaccinations are still important. We don't want to get off schedule, and we want to keep them on schedule. Those diseases are still in the public, so we still need to vaccinate against it. Even though they're still at home, let's protect them with everything and make sure that they stay on schedule. And the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the same thing that we've gotten,” explained Dr. Light. “Lots of kids I'll schedule because they haven't been going to school. So, make sure you're getting these vaccinations up to date.
We also asked Dr. Light about his concern if kids are not getting their vaccinations like they usually would if they were going to be in the classroom.
“Well, as we see with diseases like diphtheria - which is whooping cough and measles, mumps, and rubella - when we don't vaccinate, we lose that herd immunity and we'll see these diseases reappear in the population and measles, mumps and rubella, as well as some of the other diseases are deadly diseases,” he said. “So, we have to keep those in mind. So, just because COVID-19 is out there doesn't mean that we should skip getting those vaccines.”
Dr. Light says to check with your pediatrician about which shots you need and how soon you can get them.
