St. Louis County urges parents to schedule back-to-school vaccinations early

With the new schoolyear quickly approaching, the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health is encouraging parents to get ahead of the back-to-school rush by scheduling their children’s required vaccinations early.

“Competing priorities and busy schedules often cause parents of school-aged children to delay scheduling vaccination visits,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. “To keep children, classmates, and others in the community healthy, it is important that parents immunize their children on time.”

The Saint Louis County Department of Public Health encourages parents to remember that while vaccine-preventable diseases are rare, outbreaks still occur. In 2016, the CDC reported that from January 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.

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 before the back-to-school rush ensures that your child can receive their vaccinations without delay or putting themselves and others at risk.

The County health department offers vaccination services at three locations: