The excitement of a new school year unfolds each year when families flood the superstore aisles to buy classroom supplies, tape after-school schedules on the fridge, and organize carpools with friends.
Common to each family is a desire for children to remain healthy, active, and ready to learn.
To prepare children and teens to be at their best – physically, mentally, socially and emotionally – the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, recommends regular visits with the pediatrician, as well as immunizations that help keep all family members healthy. Recent outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious disease, have shown how quickly some infectious diseases can spread within a community.
The best way to strengthen a child’s immune system and keep him or her healthy is through vaccinations. An illness like measles can keep children home and away from school and activities for days. Immunizations allow children to enjoy learning, playing, and getting together with friends and family.
As of July 25, a total of 188 US measles cases were reported in 2024 in 27 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These recent measles outbreaks have affected unvaccinated people. Choosing to not vaccinate your children not only leaves them susceptible to measles but also exposes other children to this potentially serious disease. This includes infants who are too young to be vaccinated and those who are unable to be vaccinated due to other health conditions.
Everyone in our community deserves to be healthy, and part of being healthy means getting immunized for all illnesses, including influenza and COVID-19 and, if eligible, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. It benefits all of us if every child in our community is vaccinated, because it means that all of us are more likely to be healthy.
Handwashing is an important way to stay healthy.
Families can also stop the spread of infection by encouraging handwashing with children throughout the day. Help or remind them to wash their hands:
- Before eating (including snacks)
- After a trip to the bathroom
- Whenever they come in from playing outdoors
- After touching an animal, like a family pet
- After sneezing or coughing if they cover their mouth
- When someone in the household is ill
The AAP calls for the immunization of all children and adolescents according to its policy, Recommended Immunization Schedules for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger, United States. More information can be found at healthychildren.org.
Your pediatrician can answer any questions about recommended vaccines and when your child needs them. There is a schedule for their recommended timing because that is when research has shown they are most effective during a child’s development.
-by Dr. David M. Higgins, FAAP, American Academy of Pediatrics (TNS)
David M. Higgins, MD, MPH, FAAP, is an attending physician at the Child Health Clinic, Section of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. He also serves as the vice president and an immunization representative for the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
