Preventative care needed for children

A new report recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on preventative pediatric care.

According to the report, pediatric office visits fell 27% during the pandemic, for various reasons, including economic hardship and safety measures put in place to limit exposure to COVID-19.

“Wellness checks help care teams and families monitor the health and development of infants and toddlers,” said Dr. Sharon Rink, pediatrician with ThedaCare Physicians-Darboy. “These visits are a great opportunity to discuss any concerns parents might have about their child, such as eating/feeding issues, sleep schedules, growth and overall development. As providers, it’s important for us to see our young patients regularly to make sure they are growing and developing appropriately.”

With the decline in pediatric well-child visits, health systems are also seeing a drop in childhood vaccinations. According to the data from the World Health Organizations and UNICEF, 23 million children missed out on basic vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 — 3.7 million more than in 2019.

Rink said immunizations protect children from diseases such as measles, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and others that can cause serious long-term health issues and also death.

“Several vaccinations are given in the first two years of life,” Rink said. “The schedule ThedaCare follows has been studied and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other professional health organizations. This schedule is the most effective in terms of immune response and protection against the common viruses and bacteria that can be fatal to infants and young children, and/or affect their growth and development. For many of these infections, the only treatment is prevention.”

ThedaCare pediatricians are encouraging all families to schedule and complete recommended well-child visits and immunizations to help protect children.

“It’s especially important to make sure we are protecting our children from diseases that can be avoided by safe immunizations,” Rink said. “Disease outbreaks would be catastrophic for communities, and potentially lead to less in-person learning. Health systems are also continuing to respond to COVID-19, and in some parts of the country, seeing a significant number of infections, making paramount to ensure every child receives the preventative care they need through immunizations.”