Your team at Eugene Pediatrics is always looking for ways to address important health concerns for kids and families, and we lead our community in efforts that we believe will protect everyone’s health, most of all our precious children.
Starting Monday, we will be recommending that your child’s “kindergarten shots” be given at age 4 years instead of the current community practice of giving them to children at age 5. Why?
Here are our top reasons:
1. The American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approve these vaccines to be given as young as age 4 to safely and effectively boost children’s immunity to potentially life-threatening diseases, and to protect babies and those with decreased immunity who live in the community with these kids.
2. Our region is in the midst of a whooping cough epidemic – there has been a 220 percent rise this year, compared to the same time last year –which means 4-year-old children entering pre-K are at much higher risk this year.
3. This new vaccination schedule will help ensure that every single kindergarten student is protected with the recommended vaccines, prior to entering kindergarten.
As pediatricians and parents, your medical providers at Eugene Pediatrics believe vaccines are one of the most important ways we can help protect babies and children from serious or life-threatening illnesses. We believe in the safety and efficacy of currently recommended vaccines, and we worry about low vaccination rates in our region.
Hopefully, other medical clinics that care for children will follow our lead and join in a community-wide effort to vaccinate at age 4.
Our desire, at Eugene Pediatrics, is to help parents take the best-possible care of their kids. Because we love your kids, too!
Please talk with us if you have questions about vaccines. Call today to get your 4-year-old scheduled for their wellness exam and shots, or schedule a nurse-only visit to get vaccines before your next scheduled visit.