JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Doctors in Florida are alarmed by the drop in childhood immunizations.
“I think it’s the concern that parents have with COVID-19 being how contagious it is. I think that’s also limiting how much interaction we're having with our clinics for those regular vaccines," said Dr. Mohammed Reza, infectious disease physician.
According to the News Service of Florida, The Florida Department of Health conducted an analysis and found that the statewide vaccination rate for children between 24 and 35 months old last year was 93 percent and this year it's at 79 percent.
“For those regular vaccinations, for those wellness check-ups, those are still very essential especially those vaccinations that we know can save and prevent disease and long-term disability in our children," said Dr. Reza.
Dr. Reza says were forgetting the diseases that once upon a time were highly dangerous to children.
“Polio used to be crippling to children in our communities. If you look at Haemophilus Influenza B this would cause deafness in children. 1 and 5 children could have deafness for their entire life," said Dr. Reza.
Dr. Reza says the reason diseases like measles, polio, and hepatitis aren’t as common in our country is because vaccines work.
“These all used to be deadly diseases causing lifelong disability in children and then to adults which no longer occur because of the vaccines," said Dr. Reza.