Summer is in full swing in northern San Luis Obispo County with parents and kids enjoying the fair, the water park, and their free time. However, the new school year is almost here and health experts have a message for families: now might be the time to get up to date with your vaccines.
"When school-age kids get their vaccinations on time and before they go to school, they're less likely to catch things at school," American Academy of Family Physicians Jen Brull said.
Vaccines can also take weeks to be effective. Along with the standard doses required for K-12 schools, health experts recommend staying up to date with the flu and COVID-19 vaccines as well.
"It is frightening and we want to make sure that families and particularly families who have children know that those illnesses are preventable with vaccines that are available in your family physician's office every day," Brull added.
The CDC recently issued an alert about rising measles cases. There were 167 in the U.S. as of last week. California is one of the 24 states where cases have been reported. According to the CDC, 46% of those cases were in children under the age of 5. Eighty-four percent of those with measles were not vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status
A digital copy of your child's vaccine record can be found on the California Department of Public Health’s Website.
