Hays County Commissioners remind parents that children need back-to-school vaccinations

The Hays County Commissioners Court has proclaimed the month of August as National Immunization Awareness Month in Hays County, and reminds residents that the best way to protect your children from preventable diseases is to ensure that they are properly vaccinated.

Hays County Local Health Department Epidemiologist Eric Schneider told the Court members that many countries around the world are not nearly as fortunate as the United States because preventable diseases such as polio, measles, chicken pox, and diphtheria are still prevalent there, leading to disabilities and shorter life spans. He noted that here in the United States vaccines have been so successful that some people feel there is no longer a need to have their children vaccinated, but in July alone in Hays County several cases of preventable diseases were diagnosed including Hepatitis A and B, Varicella (chicken pox), and pertussis (whooping cough). An unvaccinated student at Texas State University brought mumps back from spring break to the Texas State University campus, infecting several other students who in turn could have spread the disease elsewhere.

“If we continue to vaccinate and vaccinate completely, there just might be a time when some of these deadly diseases won’t be around for future generations,” Schneider said. As part of their commitment to public health, the Local Health Department and Live Oak Partners recently sponsored a back to school free vaccination clinic, in San Marcos, for eligible children in Hays County.