August is National Immunization Month. And Mayo Clinic experts are reminding you that a part of the back-to-school routine is making sure your kids are up to date on their shots.

Jason Howland has more in this Mayo Clinic Minute.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:57) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

It's been a year of uncertainty, and that's caused a lag in scheduled childhood and adolescent vaccinations.

"We know that with the challenges with the pandemic last year that a lot of kids fell behind on their routine vaccinations. So we are doing our best to make sure our patients can get back in and get those vaccines up to date," says Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family physician.

Chickenpox, tetanus, HPV, measles, mumps and rubella are a few of the important immunization series that prevent kids from getting sick.

"I'm really thoughtful about the fact that as you move into school and we see lots of changes with mitigation efforts and masking depending on where someone lives, we're going to encounter other potential viruses and illnesses as well. Prevention is always important to us in primary care," says Dr. Ardon.

And that also applies to the COVID-19 vaccine for older kids.

"We are also taking the opportunity to encourage our patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they are 12 and older, as this is a safe and effective vaccine for those kids," says Dr. Ardon.

Talk to your health care provider to learn more about what vaccinations your child needs.

____________________________________________

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Catching up on childhood vaccinations appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My son is turning 6 soon, and we usually schedule a well-child visit with his pediatrician around his birthday. I know he needs several vaccinations, but with COVID-19 still being around, I'm wondering if I should postpone the appointment. Is it safe for him to see the doctor and get vaccinated now?

ANSWER: Visiting a health care provider when you are ill may be a necessity, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is understandable that you may have some hesitation.

You're encouraged to keep the appointment, as a well-child visit is a valuable opportunity for your son's health care provider to see him, talk with you about concerns and ensure he is growing appropriately.

Before going to this well-child visit, reach out to your son's health care provider to learn about the changes that have been made to his or her office spaces and processes to protect patient safety. Changes may include screening at entrances, requiring everyone to wear a mask, enhanced cleaning standards and limiting the number of people in the building. These changes are made to create safe environments for in-person care while protecting everyone's safety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are asked to be thoughtful about bringing children to public spaces, such as retail stores and clinics. However, families should try to keep their children on the recommended vaccination schedule as much as possible.

Many serious illnesses can not only make you or your child feel terrible, but also they present major risks to health. Fortunately, vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in preventing various diseases and conditions. Some diseases may appear to pose a minimal threat, but the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the wide-reaching effects of a disease that cannot be easily treated or prevented with a vaccine.

Importance of vaccinations

Vaccinations are important, especially for young children. Infants receive some passive immunity from their mother after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, this immunity wears off during the child's first year, with some immunity waning as early as 2 months.

Without vaccinations, children's bodies often can't fight diseases. This can lead to serious complications with lifelong effects and even death.

Germs can quickly travel through a community and sicken many people. If enough people are sickened, it can lead to an outbreak or a pandemic. But when enough people are vaccinated against a disease, the germs can't travel as easily from person to person, and the entire community is less likely to get the disease.

That means even people who can't be vaccinated, such as those with weak or failing immune systems, will have some protection from getting sick. And if a person gets sick, there's less chance of an outbreak or pandemic because it's harder for the disease to spread.

Immunization schedule

The CDC has a recommended immunization schedule based on when your child will get the most protection from a vaccine. In some cases, it is not as simple as catching up the next year because your child will remain unprotected for a year or there could be other consequences. This is the same schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians and many other groups.

Your health care provider can answer your questions and help your family determine if vaccinations are needed now or can be postponed. Factors that should be considered include if your area is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases, the age of your children, which vaccinations are needed and safety measures implemented by your son's health care organization.

In a world of uncertainty, protecting yourself and your loved ones is of great importance. Vaccinations are at the front line of disease defense, and are one of the safest, most cost-effective preventive health measures. — Dr. Jennifer S. Johnson, Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota

__________________________________________

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date.

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Pediatricians and family physicians are alerting parents that it’s important to keep their children up to date on routine vaccinations, whether or not children attend in-person school. "We’ve had a number of difficulties with the COVID-19 pandemic that actually resulted in children missing months of well-child visits in which routine vaccines were given," says Dr. Robert Jacobson, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Jacobson discusses childhood vaccinations and the extra importance of getting a flu vaccination this year during the pandemic.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date.  

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Stay up to date on routine vaccinations appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on many activities. But one thing that shouldn't fall by the wayside is your child's health.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, discusses the importance of routine checkups, including keeping up with vaccination schedules.

Mayo Clinic Q&A is available on podcast platforms including Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and iHeart. 

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date. 

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for additional updates on COVID-19. For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Why kids need wellness checks and vaccinations appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

If you have held off making your well-child health appointment or have missed your child's routine vaccinations due to COVID-19 restrictions, you may want to consider putting that on the top of your to-do list.

"We have seen, over the last few months, across the country that rates of vaccines in children have dropped precipitously, and that's really concerning to us as pediatricians because it means that we are now at risk for having outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic. "That's why we're really assuring parents that it is safe to bring their children to the clinic."

"At Mayo, we've had time to put systems and practices into place to help protect patients and families, and so it is now safe to start returning to get routine care, which is critically important, especially when it comes to well-child checks and vaccines," says Dr. Rajapakse.

Watch: Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse talks about importance of well-child visits

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy "Nipunie Rajapakse, M.D. /Infectious Diseases" / Mayo Clinic."

Vaccines

Vaccines can prevent infectious diseases that once killed or harmed many infants, children, and adults including polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).

"Vaccines are lifesaving interventions for children," says Dr. Rajapakse. "They prevent many serious and life-threatening infectious diseases that affect children and adults. When you have rates of vaccine that drop below a certain threshold, often referred to as herd immunity, you then set up a situation where you can start to see outbreaks of these vaccine-preventable diseases."

Measles

Measles is a highly contagions viral infection that kills more than 100,000 people a year, most under the age of 5. Measles can be prevented with a vaccine as part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

"In the last year or two we've had large outbreaks of measles occur across the country. Once your herd immunity drops below a certain threshold, you really set yourself up in a situation where those outbreaks can occur. And, for this reason, measles is a big concern," says Dr. Rajapakse.

Whooping cough

Also known as pertussis, whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory tract infection. It's characterized by severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop." While deaths from pertussis may be rare, it mostly occurs in infants.

"Whooping cough circulates in the community, and when you have decreases in vaccination rates, then you can see that illness affecting some of the most vulnerable groups which are very young infants, so under 6 months of age, who are susceptible," says Dr. Rajapakse. "We don't want to add that on what we're all dealing with right now with COVID-19 as well."

Schedule

Dr. Rajapakse urges parents and care-givers to ensure children are up-to-date on their vaccine schedule. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a vaccine schedule for all age groups including infants, children and adults.

Safety

Dr. Rajapakse offered these recommendations to stay safe when visiting a clinic:

• Parent and child (> 2 years of age) should wear a mask.
•  Wash hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Try and maintain 6 feet of distance in waiting rooms or other areas where other people may be around.
• Call ahead if you or your child have any symptoms of COVID-19.
• If sick, any non-urgent visits should be delayed until you have recovered and are no longer at risk for transmitting the infection to others. 

If you have concerns about the safety of your healthcare provider due to COVID-19, Dr. Rajapakse says, "It's very reasonable to call your pediatrician or your family doctor's office to find out what they have put in place to help keep you and your family protected," says Dr. Rajapakse. "Many offices have gone above and beyond to try and keep their patients and families protected."

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date. 

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for additional updates on COVID-19. For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Why it’s critical for children to get their routine health care appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Chickenpox

Cases of chickenpox declined after the chickenpox vaccine became available in the U.S. in 1995, but it remains a concern. "The important thing to know about chickenpox is that even though it used to be a common childhood infection, there are very serious complications that can occur, including infections of the brain; infections of the lung; and secondary bacterial infections of the chickenpox spots, including cases of flesh-eating disease or necrotizing fasciitis, which were reported, as well," says Dr. Rajapakse.

Watch: Dr. Nipune Rajapakse explains chickenpox.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites with Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

The virus can be spread through direct or close contact with someone who has chickenpox and through the airborne route. Cases of chickenpox continue to develop in areas where children are unvaccinated. Dr. Rajapakse says chickenpox also can be picked up when people travel to areas where vaccine is not routine. "Chickenpox is definitely still present in the U.S., and it's possible to get exposed and infected."

The best preventive is vaccination. "The chickenpox vaccine is available as a combined vaccine with measles, mumps, rubella. There's a measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and chickenpox vaccine. There's a free-standing chickenpox vaccine, as well," says Dr. Rajapakse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children receive the first dose of the varicella vaccine at 12–15 months old and a second dose at 4–6 years old.

Chickenpox may be a thought of as a childhood disease, but it also has implications for adults. "Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus. When you get infected with it the first time, you develop the classic chickenpox illness with the diffuse rash. Once you are infected with chickenpox virus, it stays in your body in a latent or a sleeping state, which can then wake up or reactivate later on in life. When it does that, that's what we call shingles," says Dr. Rajapakse.

A new shingles vaccine is now available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for all adults 50 and above.

The post Infectious Diseases A-Z: Protect children from chickenpox infection appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Robert Kraichely, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, will discuss treatment for IBS. Also on the program, Dr. Jennifer Vande Voort, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, will discuss esketamine nasal spray — a fast-acting treatment for depression that recently was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist, will share what you need to know about childhood vaccines.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Irritable bowel syndrome appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Irritable bowel syndrome / esketamine for depression / kids and vaccines appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.