State Health Officials Are Urging Families to Get Children Up-to-Date on Immunizations Before School Starts

Thursday, August 1st, 2024 -- 12:00 PM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Most Wisconsin students still have a month left of summer vacation.

But, according to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, public health officials are already urging families to think about getting kids up to date on vaccinations before the school year starts. Milwaukee County leaders held a press conference encouraging back-to-school immunizations on Tuesday.

Dr. Ben Weston, chief health policy advisor for the county, said an increased number of families are choosing not to get immunizations that have been around for decades, like those for polio, measles and whooping cough.

“These routine vaccines have been swept up in the politically-charged, misinformation-fueled controversy around COVID vaccines,” Weston said. “This has led to a huge uptick in families seeking waivers from vaccination, whether those be medical, religious or personal conviction in nature.”

He said just over 6 percent of students in Wisconsin waived school requirements for vaccinations last year, compared to less than 2 percent in the late ’90s. School immunization rates first fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, before recovering in the 2022-2023 school year.

But state data shows the percent of students meeting vaccination requirements declined again last year to just over 89 percent. That’s nearly 3 percent lower than before the pandemic. Weston said the lower rates have created “a tinderbox for preventable disease outbreaks” across the state.

David Crowley, Milwaukee County executive, said increasing vaccination rates in children would help protect other vulnerable populations, like older adults or those who are immunocompromised. He said families that aren’t sure about getting the shots should talk to the person they already go to for medical concerns like an infection or broken bone.

“You don’t need to go to TikTok, you don’t need to go to Snapchat, you don’t need to go to social media,” Crowley said. “You should contact a trusted health care provider, a trusted professional to have conversations about vaccination.”

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