The County Executives Corner: “Don’t Delay Your Child’s Vaccinations”

It’s official parents, Rockland’s students have returned to school. As a former PTA Health & Safety Committee Chair, in addition to a dad and grandfather, I think it’s essential to remind families and guardians to make sure children are up to date with immunizations.

Parents should consult with their child’s healthcare provider to review vaccination records and schedule any necessary shots. It’s important to do this before the start of the school year to avoid delays in school attendance. New York State law requires that all students attending school have documented proof of immunizations, including vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, and chickenpox, among others. These vaccines are proven to be safe and effective in protecting children from potentially serious illnesses. Remember that immunizations protect not only your children, but the broad community by preventing the spread of harmful diseases.

It is equally important for parents to keep up with vaccinations for children aged 2 and under which includes Hepatitis B, DTaP, IPV, MMR, HiB, Varicella, and PCV inoculations. The vaccination schedules are designed to best protect your child at their most vulnerable ages.

Young children are more likely to get serious complications if they catch preventable diseases.

For decades, immunizations have protected children from diseases, some of which can result in death. We hope to encourage parents to follow recommended vaccination schedules.

Immunizations are tested extensively and are not only safe to administer to babies and young children, but extremely important for your child’s health.

Many parents either fail to have their children complete their vaccination series or fail to begin the vaccination series, often due to scheduling issues or concerns over side effects. However, delaying vaccines could be harmful to your child and will not result in a reduction of side effects caused by immunizations.

It is our obligation to protect residents from these debilitating and potentially fatal diseases. The law requiring childhood vaccinations has been in place for many years for this very reason and I urge our residents to act now and protect yourselves, your family, and your community.

For more information about child immunizations and immunization clinics call 845-364-2520 or 2524 or visit the Rockland County Department of Health website at RocklandCountyNY.gov.