Health Officials Urge Vaccinations Before Kids Go Back to School

(Left to right) County Executive David Crowley, Dr. Ben Weston, Dr. Michael Gutzeit and Karen Mackinnon.

Local health officials are urging parents in Milwaukee to get their children vaccinated before the school year begins.

Officials expressed concern about the declining immunization rate in Milwaukee and across the state, noting that there has been an increase in families seeking waivers from the required shots for diseases like mumps, measles, hepatitis, polio and pertussis.

Public health officials in Dane County recently reported an outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, with 48 cases primarily among teenagers in the past 8 weeks.

The vaccines children need before school have a “near zero downside, except the occasional sore arm or low-grade fever,” Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor, said Tuesday.

Weston was joined at a press conference by Dr. Michael Gutzeit, president of primary care at Children’s Wisconsin, Karen MacKinnon, a pharmacist and professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin and County Executive David Crowley, all urging families to immunize their children before the coming school year.

All three urged Milwaukee families to immunize their children, and, if any have doubts, to speak with their pediatrician, family doctor or a trusted health care provider. Families should not turn to social media, friends, co-workers or politicians for advice on vaccinations, Weston said.

The routine vaccines children have been getting for decades have been “caught up in the politically-charged, misinformation-fueled controversy” surrounding vaccines for COVID-19, Weston said.  “And this has led to a huge uptick in families seeking waivers for vaccination,” he said.

Last year, the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reported that 6.1% of students in Wisconsin received an immunization waiver, which is more than double the amount of waivers two decades ago.

Only 81.3% of Milwaukee Public Schools students were in compliance with the state’s immunization laws, according to DHS. But, because of waivers, the amount of students who were actually vaccinated is lower. Weston said approximately 79% of MPS students were vaccinated last year.

MPS also isn’t the worst in the state for immunization. Some communities have immunization rates as low as 36%, Weston said. “Just incredibly high-risk situations, really a tinderbox for preventable disease outbreaks,” he said.

It’s not just vaccine hesitancy. Access to health care is also an issue, Weston said. Families with a pediatrician or a primary care doctor can access vaccinations at their nearest pharmacy, MacKinnon said. “We are relocated near your homes, we are open after you go to work, after you go to school,” she said.

Weston also noted that the Milwaukee Health Department is hosting a back-to-school health fair offering vaccinations on Aug. 10, and that local, federally-qualified health centers can also provide vaccinations.

Vaccines for diseases like whooping cough are directly responsible for causing steep declines in the rate of the disease, said Dr. Gutzeit.

“Prevention is the best treatment,” he said.