ROANOKE, Va. – Back to school is just weeks away, and this year, state health leaders want you to add a couple health-related items to your back-to-school list.
“Parents want to start thinking about those vaccines that are recommended for your child and also in Virginia required for school,” Dr. Forlano said.
Dr. Forlano said only about two percent of students don’t take the required vaccines, due to medical or other exemptions. Otherwise, kids headed into kindergarten, 7th grade, or 12th grade need to roll up their sleeves.
She said it’s especially important to get vaccinated because recently we’ve seen an uptick in vaccine preventable diseases, in particular, whooping cough.
“For the first, say, six months of 2024, compared to the first six months of 2023, I think we’ve seen up to a seven-fold increase in the number of cases of pertussis in Virginia,” Dr. Forlano said.
Parents said they’re doing all they can to keep their families healthy this fall.
“It’s like they’re walking into a petri dish,” one father said. “They’ve been kind of separated all summer, and it happens every year for us too. The first few months a little bit of sickness.”
That’s why health experts said it’s important to prepare now. For a full list of required vaccinations, click here.