As parents shop for school supplies and students are picking out their threads for that first day back at school this fall, health officials are encouraging immunizations as part of those back-to-school preparations.
Cheryl Wavrin is immunization coordinator with Fargo Cass Public Health. She says next week, Family Health Care will be hosting a vaccine clinic in the parking lot of Fargo Cass Public Health, and no appointments are necessary. She says a similar clinic held last week was very successful. Wavrin says after a handful of measles cases in Cass County earlier this year, parents have been a bit more responsive to vaccinating their kids. Wavrin says vaccination rates for measles in younger age groups is around 90 percent, which is a little lower than public health officials prefer for community protection.
"Ideally, we want that rate to be 95 - which is interesting, because by middle school, we're at 95 so people do eventually come around. But measles can be exceedingly disruptive; for kids in kindergarten, but also in our daycares, because infants younger than 12 months of age do not have options for vaccines. So if they get exposed to measles, now they're excluded."
The vaccine clinic will be Tuesday, August 19th from 8am to 4pm, and will offer vaccines for all age groups. Wavrin also says appointments can be made at Fargo Cass Public Health. Parents can call 701-241-1383. She says information about vaccine clinics and vaccines can be found online at www.fargocasspublichealth.com/immunizations.