Bright Futures

These days, most parents’ minds are consumed with COVID-19-related concerns. But there’s some good news: The overwhelming majority of children who encounter COVID-19 do surprisingly well. Most either have no symptoms at all or very mild cases.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for other contagious diseases like measles, diphtheria and pertussis. These infections do affect children more severely than adults. Fortunately, these conditions are preventable, thanks to safe and reliable vaccines.

Many parents have been worried about visiting their pediatrician’s office due to COVID-19 fears. As a result, vaccination rates have plummeted. Experts agree that communities need more than 90% of society to be immunized against a disease in order to prevent major outbreaks, commonly known as herd immunity. We’ve seen measles outbreaks in various cities (before the COVID-19 pandemic) as vaccination rates declined in some communities. Now, with COVID-19 bringing down vaccination rates even further, measles and pertussis outbreaks could become more commonplace.

Vaccinations are typically included in the well child checks from birth to 18 months of age as well as the 4, 11 and 16 year old well child checks. Your pediatricians at Phoenix Children’s are strongly encouraging parents to schedule all children, especially children in those age ranges, to come in for their immunizations. If your child is missing any vaccinations, now is a good time to get them up to date.

If you’re unsure whether or not your child is missing any vaccines, please call us at (602-933-0945). For the most current immunization schedules, please see the Center for Disease Control’s recommended immunization schedule.

Phoenix Children’s team is committed to making sure your children are safe during this crisis and beyond. Our team has implemented enhanced safety practices in our clinics to ensure your child’s wellbeing:

• Every visitor is pre-screened for any possible signs of COVID-19 and diverted to our sick clinic or the emergency room.
• Only well-checks are currently being done in the mornings: There is no overlap of sick patients and well-checks.
• We have a strict mask policy for all visitors.
• Our environmental team performs deep cleanings of all our facilities, multiple times a day.

Phoenix Children’s is proud of the steps we have taken to keep our community safe, and we look forward to caring for your children.