Commissioners Court Encourages Parents To Protect Their Children And Prevent Outbreaks

“And in all of these cases, there is a vaccine that could have helped prevent the patient from becoming sick in the first place,” County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider said.

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioner Court on Tuesday proclaimed April 22-29 as Infant Immunization Week and encouraged parents and guardians to ensure that children are immunized at the appropriate ages.

There is a recommended schedule of vaccinations for children under two, who are often the most vulnerable and suffer the most if exposed. 

While many such diseases are considered rare, vaccine-preventable diseases still circulate in the United States and around the world, so continued vaccination is necessary to protect everyone from potential outbreaks.

Even when diseases are rare in the U.S., they can be brought into the country, putting unvaccinated children at risk. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases – such as pertussis (whooping cough), measles and mumps – occur when unvaccinated people are exposed to the disease and pass it on to others.

County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider told the Court that one current outbreak occurred because a contagious college student inadvertently exposed others to mumps at South Padre Island, as well as fellow travelers on airplanes, over spring break.

Now, universities in several states are reporting mumps outbreaks, and one exposed student infected several elderly patients at a nursing home where he works. 

Since the beginning of April, Hays County has had three people test positive for mumps, three children test positive for whooping cough, eight children test positive for chicken pox, three cases of Hepatitis A, and four cases of Hepatitis B – 21 cases in the last three weeks.

“And in all of these cases, there is a vaccine that could have helped prevent the patient from becoming sick in the first place,” Schneider said.

Schneider noted that despite the growing trend of parents wanting to opt-out from vaccinating their kids, most parents do vaccinate their children, resulting in high vaccine coverage rates in the U.S. The proclamation also notes that currently, the United States has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in its history.