{"id":17912,"date":"2017-08-09T12:32:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T18:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=17912"},"modified":"2017-08-09T12:32:18","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T18:32:18","slug":"county-reminds-parents-to-schedule-back-to-school-vaccinations-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=17912","title":{"rendered":"County Reminds Parents to Schedule Back-to-School Vaccinations Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mo<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 With the 2017-2018 school year starting this week and next, the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health is encouraging parents to make sure their children\u2019s required vaccinations are up-to-date.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompeting priorities and busy schedules often cause parents of school-aged children to delay scheduling vaccination visits,\u201d said Dr. Faisal Khan, director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo keep children, classmates, and others in the community healthy, it is important that parents immunize their children on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Saint Louis County Department of Public Health encourages parents to remember that while vaccine-preventable diseases are rare, outbreaks still occur.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the CDC reported that from Jan. 1 to June 13 alone, 6,000 cases of whooping cough had been reported by 50 States and Puerto Rico. Diseases such as this and measles have reemerged within the past few years, and while they are treatable, they can still be very dangerous and even life-threatening.<\/p>\n

Since vaccinations work most effectively through group immunity, it is critical that all children receive the proper vaccinations on time to ensure maximum protection against disease for everyone. Getting to the doctor ensures that your child can receive their vaccinations without putting themselves and others at risk.<\/p>\n

The Saint Louis County Department of Public Health offers vaccination services at three different locations:<\/p>\n