TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – With the new school year fast approaching, state health officials are urging parents to have their kids up to date on vaccinations.
Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) held a virtual press conference on Youtube, emphasizing the importance of immunization among students and the intentional process that goes into creating a vaccine.
ODH’s Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, shared Ohio’s ratings among kindergarteners for last year.
” The percentage of kindergarteners who are up to date on their vaccines slipped from 86.5% in the 2022-2023 school year, to 86.2% this last school year,” said Vanderhoff.
While that percentage is high, the health experts added that the safe zone for immunization rates is in the mid 90′s.
Another goal of this conversation: change the current tone surrounding vaccinations.
Dr. Paul Offit, the director of Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was a guest speaker at the conference.
“I feel like at some level we’re falling off a cliff in slow motion here because there’s just such a negative feeling surrounding vaccines,” said Offit.
There are notably low levels of childhood vaccinations globally. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund found an estimated 21 million children missed one or more vaccines in 2023, about 2.7 million more than seen in 2019.
Not to mention, Dr. Vanderhoff said the number of kindergarteners coming into schools with vaccine exemptions, has been on the rise in recent years.
Ohio is one of 15 states that allows parents to file a philosophical exemption to their child’s vaccine if hey have an objection.
“A choice to not get vaccination is not a risk free choice, it’s a choice to get a different risk,” said Offit.
Dr. Vanderhoff said it is state law to come to school with the required vaccines or with an approved exemption whether it’s medical, religious or personal.
“We continue to see tragic cases of vaccine preventable illnesses popping up right here in Ohio,” said Vanderhoff.
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