Protect your child’s health: Stay up-to-date on vaccinations
A decline in Michigan’s vaccine rates are cause for concern, according to public health officials, falling to their lowest levels since 2010.
Vaccinations are more important now than ever, as more than half of Michigan counties are facing childhood vaccination rates that have dropped below 70%, the minimum protection level desired for community immunity.
“Simply put, vaccines save lives – the science is very clear on that fact,” says Dr. David Weismantel, MESSA’s medical director. “Vaccines are essential to protecting the health of each individual, as well as the public health.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents postponed well-child visits, which resulted in many children falling behind on their routine vaccinations. It’s time for parents to call their child’s health care provider to get them caught up on vaccinations.
Not only are vaccines safe and effective, but they play a significant role in preventing the spread of life-threatening diseases in our communities. We saw the impact vaccines can have on community health in real time during the pandemic, when the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines drove down both death rates and infection rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a recommended childhood vaccine schedule, which is approved by every major medical organization in the United States. This schedule protects from 16 diseases by the age of 18, and MESSA fully covers all childhood vaccines on the recommended schedule — meaning MESSA members pay no deductible, copay or coinsurance when they’re administered by an in-network provider, a local health department or a participating pharmacy.
