IMMUNIZATIONS

Michigan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun joined forces with school officials Monday to call on parents before school starts to catch students up on childhood immunizations that were missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First- and second-graders line up for Salk Polio vaccine shots on April 23, 1955. Regardless of where anyone stands on the matter, we know that vaccinations have been protecting us from diseases for decades. In 1921, the United States recorded 206,000 cases, which resulted in 15,520 deaths, according to the History of Vaccines website. According to the CDC, polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. Since 1979, there have been no polio cases that originated in the U.S.

FILE - In this Saturday Jan. 2, 2021 file photo, doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca are checked as they arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England. Britain races to vaccinate more than 15 million people by mid-February, and in an effort to ensure vaccines get to the right places at the right times, along with the syringes, alcohol swabs and protective equipment needed to administer them, the government has called in the army. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP, File)

All rights reserved)DETROIT – Ascension Michigan is partnering with the Detroit Health Department to offer free immunization and flu shots to children this weekend. Officials say vaccinations among children in Detroit have declined from 82% to 47% since March, according to a report from the Wayne County Health Department. To combat this decline, the health system will host a Back to School Community Immunization Fair on September 12 at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., children 6 months old and older can receive free immunization and flu shots. Officials say individuals are welcome whether they are insured or not.

WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. Coronavirus (COVID-19) has interrupted many routines, and that includes wellness visits for children and teens who have now fallen behind on routine vaccinations. The state of Michigan has reported a 44.5 percent decrease in immunizations during the pandemic. Officials with Beaumont said that decline puts children and their communities at risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The River Rouge event will be held on July 30 at 1460 W. Coolidge Highway. The Taylor event will be held on Aug. 5 at Taylor, 26650 Eureka Road, Suite B.

DETROIT Public health officials worry future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases could emerge in Michigan as vaccination rates have dramatically fallen during the coronavirus pandemic. Vaccination rates for children 18 and younger fell by more than 20%, according to a study published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. David Obudzinski, a Beaumont pediatrician, said parents began canceling appointments in March, when stay-at-home orders were issued. Measles, for examples, usually include mild symptoms, but those symptoms can be deadly in babies who cannot be immunized until they're a year old, according to health officials. We need to be sure that everybody gets caught up on their immunizations that they may have fallen behind on so that we can assure that everybody is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, Swanson said.

Thousands possibly exposed to hepatitis at Missouri restaurant Immunizations are being offered for up to 5,000 people who might have been exposed to hepatitis A at a Springfield, Missouri restaurant. Local health officials were alerted when a food service worker from the restaurant tested positive for the virus. KOLR-TV's Lindsay Clein reports.