Ohio doctors urge parents to get kids vaccinated before school starts

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - As kids get ready to go back to school, Ohio’s top doctors have a very important message for parents.

“Make sure all of the vaccines are up to date,” said Dr. Michael Forbes, of Akron Children’s Hospital.

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff says more than 1,000 children come down with diseases that would’ve been preventable had they been up to date with their vaccines.

“Recently, there have been scary examples of what can happen if we don’t keep vaccinations up to date,” said Dr. Vanderhoff. “Earlier this year, the Ohio department of Health announced that a case of measles was confirmed in a child.”

Dr. Forbes says despite a rise in illnesses over the past few years, the number of children getting vaccinated is surprisingly low.

“It is a curious phenomenon that when there is a large a large epidemic the vaccination rate goes down, a part of that is people don’t know, fear,” said Dr. Forbes.

The doctor says if you’re unsure about a vaccine, ask your child’s pediatrician about it.

“They’ll give you the advice you need, really encourage people to get the entire battery of vaccines. We know it’s a lot but they work,” Forbes added.

Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.