(WXMI) — During a Zoom call on Thursday, local public health officials urged parents to get their child up to date on all immunizations. Childhood vaccination rates in Michigan are currently the lowest they have been since 2011.
This year, only 66.5% of Michigan kids between the ages of 19-36 months are scheduled with primary vaccines, which is a sharp decline from 2017’s 75%. Doctors say that herd immunity requires 70% vaccination, and that any dip below that puts the whole population at risk.
“We really talk about 70% of being the minimum to provide herd immunity so that we’re not putting school communities at risk for outbreak of vaccine preventable diseases,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at MDHHS.
During the press conference, studies were cited that reported no change in vaccine hesitancy since the pandemic. However, others have pointed out a spill-over effect, where reservations about the COVID vaccine could have led to an across the board drop in immunizations.
According to the CDC, less than 33% of the United States is fully vaccinated in all states, except for Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
“So, there are two things that I can tell you in no uncertain terms. The first is that these diseases are real, and they circulate in our communities,” said I Vaccinate campaign founder Veronica Valentine McNally. “And the second is that vaccines work and they are safe and effective.”
“I get my kids vaccinated to protect them and to protect others,” said Ruthanne Sufferth, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. “So, if you do have questions about which vaccines your child needs, or about the safety or effectiveness of our vaccines, please reach out to your local health department, your health center, your physician or pediatrician or one of our health systems. We are here to listen and to talk to you about your questions and concerns.”
Parents can learn about their child’s risk by downloading their school’s vaccination data, which is available on the State of Michigan’s website.
