Rebecca Johnson, director of the Southeast Kansas Multi-Agency Health Departments, is concerned about a decline in childhood vaccination rates.
That’s been the case for years, even before COVID-19 appeared, she said. It seems to have gotten worse since then, as some families were skeptical about the speed in which the vaccine against COVID was developed.
The decline in vaccination rates is dangerous for everyone, not just those who choose not to be vaccinated, she said.
“This trend definitely doesn’t help keep infectious diseases at bay,” she said. “Because there are many people with weakened immune systems (young and old, including babies), it is important for those who are able to be vaccinated to do so. This not only helps protect the person getting vaccinated, it helps protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
