As you might have noticed, the world has relatively hit the skids in the last year. COVID-19 has been a global issue to face off against now for months, with medical professionals the world around fighting back as best they can. And while these efforts are very much respected by the public, the loss of many activities once enjoyed without thought has driven many people to the edge mentally. Another issue has been the drop-off in availability of others forms of medical care, especially regarding vaccination.
As a parent, you might be worried that your child has missed out on key vaccinations during the COVID-19 period. Vaccination rates have dropped off starkly when it comes to key childhood vaccination programs. If you are worried about this, then you should do all that you can to try and make up for lost time and get those crucial vaccinations.
While a COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be 100% proven to work and thus become available, COVID is not the only show in town. Other vaccines are needed to protect children from other dangerous viruses and conditions. If your child has missed out on some major vaccines, then it could lead to an increased risk of catching an illness that could otherwise have been avoided.
What should I do?
Vaccines available today can play a role in protecting our children from various forms of blood and brain infections. It can even help them to stay protected from certain forms of cancer. Vaccines, though, are given out on a set schedule that should help to prolong their lifespan in terms of the protection ntaht is being provided. So, you will need to consider where your child was in terms of their vaccine ‘schedule’ before everything fell away due to COVID-19.
The best thing that you can do is get in touch with your paediatrician. They should have a full and clear record of where your child is with regards to vaccines. With normality resuming in some places, you could then push for the vaccination of other treatments to become back on the schedule for your child. The medical experts who have cared for your child so far will know what they need and what they timeframe should be for delivery.
Unfortunately for your young one, this might mean quite a few repeated trips to the doctor to be immunised. However, with the importance of keeping on top of the various illnesses that we can now vaccinate against, you should not put off speaking to a medical professional about helping your child.
Typically, you should be looking to receive shots for major issues such as tetanus, polio, various hepatitis illnesses, chickenpox, and rotavirus. However, you should always look to get a medical check-up on the vaccination progress for your child. This will ensure that your child can get the right amount of vaccines and doses at the right time and in the correct combination.
This has been a year of near-constant worry about health; take the edge off and gain some peace of mind by kicking vaccines back into normality for your children.