Pediatrician Shares Must-know Vaccine Tips For Parents

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - An organization called SciLine has released an interview with pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist Dr. David Higgins about the safety and importance of childhood vaccinations before heading back to school.

Dr. Higgins began by providing a broad statement regarding vaccination requirements before school starts.

Dr. Higgins Began with a Statement about Vaccination Requirements

“School vaccine requirements are set by states, not the federal government, and each state is different,” began Dr. Higgins. “Most states require vaccines for diseases like diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, called the DTaP vaccine, polio, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, chicken pox and hepatitis B, often for secondary school and high school, the Tdap vaccine and a vaccine called the Meningococcal vaccine are also required.”

Dr. Higgins emphasized the importance of getting children vaccinated now.

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He Emphasized Getting Children Vaccinated Before School Starts

“Schools are high risk for disease spread, and requiring vaccines to attend school helps prevent disease spread within the school and within communities,” he said. “It is important to know that even if a vaccine is not required for school, that doesn't mean it's any less important. Vaccines that we recommend as pediatricians are all important for keeping children healthy.”

Dr. Higgins also emphasized the fact that individual vaccination status should remain secure.

He Said Every Effort has been Taken to Keep Personal Information Secure

“All of the vaccine safety systems that we have keep your information secure,” he said. “All of these systems are within your electronic medical record that is confidential or within records with the government and CDC that don't include identifiable information, so we are able to track the safety of vaccines while still keeping your personal information completely safe.”

For those concerned about vaccination safety, Dr. Higgins said all vaccines for school children are vigorously tested.

He said Vaccines for School Children are Rigorously Tested

“There's a rigorous process for evaluating a vaccine safety through clinical trials and approval, and then after vaccines are approved and recommended, there are multiple different systems in place to make sure that they are safe,” he said. “Vaccines are one of the most tested medical interventions that we have regarding safety, we have ongoing systems to make sure that vaccines are not causing any problems, including long term problems after people get them.”

Click here to see a video presentation with Dr. Higgins about school vaccinations.