HOUSTON — It's the time of the year when kids are heading to the doctor for their annual checkups as they head back to school.
While they're getting their physicals and eye exams, doctors stress it's also the time to check their immunization records.
"We should really remember that infectious diseases are consistently in the ... five top causes of mortality for children," Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious disease expert with UT Physicians, said.
Ostrosky said vaccines are an important part of making sure your children don't fall victim to infectious diseases. In fact, he said, vaccines changed the world.
"It used to be quite normal, like, throughout the world, for kids to die from a bad diarrhea or a bad pneumonia or meningitis and vaccines have changed that," Ostrosky said.
As it turns out, the age at which your children are administered each vaccine is important and the result of a lot of scientific thought.
"Behind every decision in the vaccine schedule, there's a panel of experts who went through, like, a year of discussions to decide," Ostrosky said.
He said right now two of the largest threats to keeping kids on those vaccine schedules are the growing amount of misinformation spreading on social media and a growing feeling of vaccine fatigue in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
"At this point, we're starting to see pockets of the population that have gaps in their vaccines. Again, we're starting to see measles outbreaks, pertussis, or whooping cough, outbreaks -- things that should not be happening in the United States in 2024," Ostrosky said.
The doctor said it's never too late to get your kids caught up on their vaccines. Ostrosky said the first thing you need to do is contact your child's pediatrician and stop doing research on social media.