The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) is launching a “Call Your Pediatrician” campaign aimed at ensuring kids are up to date with their immunizations. Citing CDC data, the AAP claimed that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer vaccines were ordered by doctors in the Vaccines for Children program.
“As states begin to open up and families move about in their community, we are afraid that we could see outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other diseases that can spread very rapidly and be deadly for children,” said AAP President Sally Goza, MD, FAAP. “It’s important that parents work with their pediatrician now to get all children caught up on their vaccines. We want to reassure parents that pediatricians have taken every step to make these visits safe.”
The CDC stats show that there were 2.5 million fewer doses of vaccines — including 250,000 fewer measles-containing vaccine doses — ordered from Mid-March to mid-April this year, compared to the same period in 2019. Another study from the CDC showed a 50% drop in vaccination rates in Michigan alone.
“Using humor and real-world conversations, we have launched the #CallYourPediatrician campaign, which aims to reach parents with timely reminders that going to the pediatrician, even during Covid-19, is important and safe,” the AAP noted on its campaign website.
The AAP is providing an online toolkit for physicians to share on their own social networks and the organization suggested that physicians use the hashtag “CallYourPediatrician” in posts and on social media to bring attention to the campaign.
The downloadable campaign materials include campaigns such as “Covid-19 To-Dos,” which is a check list that includes “call pediatrician;” “the Doctor is In,” which outlines the steps to ensure safe office visits during the pandemic; a text message conversation about immunizations; and other downloadable information.
“Parents have a lot on their minds right now. We want them to know pediatricians are open for business, and we are ready to schedule visits to make sure their children are fully immunized,” Goza said. “These visits are so important for other reasons, too, including making sure children’s development is on track and checking on other health concerns while families have been social distancing. Pediatricians want to see children now, and make sure they are healthy and OK.”
Candace Hoffmann, Managing Editor, BreakingMED™
Cat ID: 44
Topic ID: 85,44,730,933,125,190,31,926,44,561,927,925,934
