By Katie Quayle, M.D.
St. Luke’s Clinic – Family Medicine
Baby’s first steps, taking the training wheels off the bike and so many other milestones are all so exciting and cause to celebrate. As we adapt our world to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, these moments are still joyous, although they may be a little different in how we share them or how we interact with others. Throughout it all, keeping your child healthy and safe is always a top priority for you and for your healthcare team. While people of all ages can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, children do not seem to be as vulnerable as adults. Despite this, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge effect on children’s health and wellbeing.
One major issue for children right now is that parents are postponing well-child checkups and vaccines to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. This puts children at risk for many vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as meningitis and measles. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a report indicating that vaccine rates have dropped dramatically in children in the U.S. As children increase their interactions, children behind on vaccines will be left unprotected and vulnerable to these diseases, many of which are likely to be more serious for them than COVID-19. We recommend children come in for their well-child checks, especially if they are due for vaccines. The concern is that if booster shots are missed—for diseases like measles, mumps and rubella for 4- and 5-year-olds, and tetanus and whooping cough for 11-year-olds—immunity will begin to wane and outbreaks of disease could be possible. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), immunization saves 2-3 millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Just as we hope for a vaccine to protect us from the coronavirus, we must not forget to use the vaccines we already have in place to protect our children from serious diseases.
Even if your child is not due for vaccines, well-child checks are also essential to determine if children are meeting developmental milestones, growing appropriately, and thriving. During checkups, doctors screen children’s development; if they spot a delay, they are able to refer the child and family to appropriate services to help keep kids progressing. If children miss their regular checkup, delays can go undetected and children will miss out on key services. We know that acting early to recognize delays can help kids catch up and thrive.
Well-child checks can also be a good time to discuss with your child’s doctor how your child and family is coping during the pandemic. We all are finding ourselves in the midst of a great deal of uncertainty, which can be stressful to kids as well as adults. It is critical to find a way to discuss the virus with children and listen to their concerns and worries. Often kids feel better after they are able to talk to a trusted adult, friend or doctor about their fears. This makes kids feel less alone, and often what they are worried about becomes less scary.
Checkups can also be a good time to bring up questions you might have about safer ways for getting together, participating in sports and having kids wear masks. Social distancing can be hard to explain to kids and even harder for kids to follow, but generally children love to help out and make things better, so if you are able to frame social distancing as a way for them to protect the people they love and keep everyone safe, this might help. Consider explaining that they can be a “super-hero for health” if they wear their mask and stay six feet apart.
St. Luke’s is here to help you through this challenging time. Contact your provider with questions or concerns about wellness, mental health, injuries or illness via myChart, telephone or through the St. Luke’s Center for Community Health. If you are struggling financially, physically or emotionally, there are resources available throughout our community. We are all in this together.
Katie Quayle, M.D., is a pediatrician with St. Luke’s Wood River Family Medicine. In addition to seeing patients at the clinic in Hailey, Dr. Quayle now sees patients on Thursdays in Ketchum at the Physician Office Annex, 100 Hospital Drive, Suite 109. To schedule an appointment in Ketchum or Hailey, visit stlukesonline.org or call (208) 788-3434.
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