Children’s well-visits down, could lead to disease outbreaks, health official says

A decrease in children’s well-visits throughout the coronavrius pandemic could result in an outbreak in preventable diseases, such as whooping cough, measles and more.

“Another difficulty of the pandemic is that some parents haven’t been able to take their kids to the doctor for well-visits as often as recommended,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “This led to a drop in vaccinations administered to protect against diseases like measles, chicken pox, whooping cough and polio.”

ExploreCoronavirus: Ohio virus numbers continue to increase, DeWine warns

Though Ohio is starting to catch up on vaccinations and wellness visits, Dr. Chris Peltier of the American Academy of Pediatrics Ohio Chapter said the state is still lagging.

The ultimate concern is that the state could see an outbreak in preventable diseases, which could in turn result in school closures and strain an already taxed healthcare system, he said.

Peltier stressed that pediatricians' officers are safe and that parents and guardians should continue to bring children in for vaccinations and wellness visits.

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Kristen Spicker