Summer break is here! While summer is a busy time for families to travel and do the activities they enjoy, it’s also the perfect time to schedule a check-up and ensure your child’s immunizations are up-to-date before school resumes in the fall. Booking early can ensure a convenient appointment with your child’s provider.
Mary DeGuardi, MD, of UHS Pediatrics and UHS Primary Care, emphasizes the importance of planning ahead: “The summer back-to-school rush requires special planning to ensure we have the capacity to meet every family’s needs. This is why we strongly encourage parents to book appointments early, ensuring all necessary health requirements are met before the school year begins.”
Well-child visits with your child’s primary care provider are essential. These appointments help build a strong medical history and provider relationship, detect early signs of health issues, and address any developmental, safety or wellness concerns. They also provide an opportunity for administering needed tests, screenings and immunizations. For adolescents, visits often include important discussions about sexual health, mental health and substance use.
While a check-up may include clearance for sports participation, a sports physical alone is not a substitute for a comprehensive check-up. Even if your child received a sports physical at school or a retail clinic before their athletic season started, it’s still important to schedule their annual well visit with their primary care provider.
Parents should also keep in mind that schools require certain vaccinations for entry in the fall, particularly for children ages 4, 10, 11 and 16. These vaccines include Diphtheria and Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Polio and more.
UHS pediatricians and primary care physicians emphasize that routine childhood immunizations have been safely protecting children for generations and remain one of the most effective tools for preventing serious illness.
Vaccines not only protect your child’s health, but they also contribute to herd immunity, helping protect infants, older adults and individuals with weakened immune systems who may be more vulnerable to serious illness in our families, neighborhoods, schools and communities.
Even healthy children can be exposed to serious illness unexpectedly, making vaccination an important part of protecting their long-term health.
Every year, childhood vaccinations prevent an estimated four million deaths worldwide. By 2030, measles vaccines are projected to save nearly 19 million lives and hepatitis B vaccines could save 14 million lives. Lack of access to vaccines puts children at risk of death, disability and illness from preventable diseases. Today, there are more than 25 safe and effective vaccines to prevent diseases, protect health throughout one’s lifespan, and help to prevent and mitigate outbreaks.
You can find the recommended immunization schedule on nyuhs.org by clicking here, where you will also find helpful guidance on scheduling check-ups and staying on track with immunizations safely and effectively.
While summer break may be just beginning, the back-to-school season will be here before you know it. UHS encourages you to beat the rush and schedule your child’s back-to-school physical today. If you are looking for a primary care provider, use the “Choose a Provider” tool at nyuhs.org to choose a pediatric or family medicine provider at a UHS Primary Care location near you.