32 August 22 • 2019
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s the start of a new school
year approaches, Michigan
health officials are urging
families to make sure they are up to
date on all immunizations, to ensure
their loved ones are protected.
“Vaccines protect our children
from serious and preventable dis-
eases,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun,
chief deputy director for health
and chief medical executive for the
Michigan Department of Health and
Human Services. “Now is the time
to visit your local health department
or family doctor for immunizations,
to help your kids start the school
year on the right foot.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently
designated August as Immunization
Awareness Month in Michigan.
“As Michigan continues to face
outbreaks of measles and other vac-
cine-preventable diseases, it’
s more
important than ever that people
make sure they are up to date on
immunizations,” Whitmer said. “I
encourage people of all ages to talk
with their health care providers
about the vaccines necessary to pro-
tect their health and the health of
their families.”
Michigan and 29 other states con-
tinue to battle the country’
s worst
measles outbreak in decades, with
more than 1,172 individual cases
of measles confirmed nationwide.
Michigan has seen 46 cases of
measles since the outbreak began
in March. The state continues to
see hundreds of cases of whooping
cough, mumps and chickenpox each
year, as well as other vaccine-pre-
ventable diseases.
When less than 90 percent of
children are vaccinated in a par-
ticular community, pockets of low
vaccination create an environment
where diseases can take hold and
spread. Areas with more vaccination
waivers mean fewer children in the
community are vaccinated and the
community may not be protected by
community immunity.
Waivers can be problematic if
clustered at the building level, when
you have higher numbers of unvac-
cinated kids in one area. Nearly 400
public and private K-12 schools and
295 daycare programs in Michigan
had 10 percent or more of their stu-
dents submit a vaccine waiver form
in lieu of immunization records in
2017, state records show.
The IVaccinate.org website has
been visited more than 240,000
times, averaging around 1,500 visits
per week. The website includes rec-
ommended vaccination schedules,
Michigan-specific resources and a
frequently-asked-questions section,
where parents can find answers to
common questions based on credi-
ble medical research and sources to
learn more.
The I Vaccinate campaign is a
joint public-private effort of the
MDHHS and the Franny Strong
Foundation. The campaign high-
lights that there is medical consen-
sus on vaccines — they are safe and
effective at preventing disease and
protect entire communities from
outbreaks. The campaign aims to
create a positive conversation sur-
rounding vaccines and the reasons
why most parents do fully vaccinate
their children. ■
Time to Vaccinate
Doctors, health offi
cials urge Michigan parents
to put immunizations on their kids’
back-to-school checklist.
back to school