32 August 22 • 2019
jn

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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