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CDC warns of low vaccination rates among children for diseases other than COVID-19

Such diseases could include measles, mumps and rubella after canceled medical appointments in the early months of the pandemic.

CLEVELAND — The CDC is calling on parents to get their children up-to-date on vaccines before the first school bell rings this fall.

According to a new CDC report, doctors do not want vaccine preventable diseases to make a comeback due to low vaccination rates. Such diseases could include measles, mumps and rubella after canceled medical appointments in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Claudia Hoyen, pediatric infectious disease specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, says many children locally missed visits and are having a hard time getting caught up.

"There were a lot of children in this country who, because of the COVID outbreak, were having trouble getting their vaccines, so they got behind in their vaccines,: Hoyen told 3News "What [we] are looking at is, are we going to be at a place where a bunch of 5 year-olds haven't been able to get their second measles vaccine, and could that be a potential problem if they have that waning immunity from their childhood?"

Experts say annual check-ups also saw a decline during the pandemic due to delays and cancellations.

"We have a very rigorous approach of calling people and texting people," Dr. Shelly Senders of Senders Pediatrics said. "It seems to be working, and many of my colleagues around the country have noticed that and we really haven't seen that in our practice."

However, according to the CDC, many children are not in the same boat, and the goal is to get them caught up as quickly as possible.

"We've had kids who've had to be out of school for COVID," Hoyen warned. "Let's not have them be out of school for measles and mumps."

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