Hays County Commissioners Court Proclaims August As Immunization Awareness Month, Reminds Parents That Children Need Back-To-School Vaccinations

“If we continue to vaccinate and vaccinate completely, there just might be a time when some of these deadly diseases won’t be around for future generations,” Schneider said.

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners Court has proclaimed the month of August as National Immunization Awareness Month in Hays County and reminds residents that the best way to protect your children from preventable diseases is to ensure that they are properly vaccinated.

Hays County Local Health Department Epidemiologist Eric Schneider told the Court members that many countries around the world are not nearly as fortunate as the United States because preventable diseases such as polio, measles, chicken pox, and diphtheria are still prevalent there, leading to disabilities and shorter life spans.

He noted that here in the United States vaccines have been so successful that some people feel there is no longer a need to have their children vaccinated, but in July alone in Hays County several cases of preventable diseases were diagnosed including Hepatitis A and B, Varicella (chicken pox), and pertussis (whooping cough).

An unvaccinated student at Texas State University brought mumps back from spring break to the Texas State University campus, infecting several other students who in turn could have spread the disease elsewhere.

“If we continue to vaccinate and vaccinate completely, there just might be a time when some of these deadly diseases won’t be around for future generations,” Schneider said.

The Local Health Department and Live Oak Partners are sponsoring a back-to-school vaccination clinic, with free vaccines for eligible children, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, August 10, at 401 Broadway, San Marcos.

Photo Attached:

Left to right, Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones, Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Hays County Local Health Department Epidemiologist Eric Schneider, Executive Director of Countywide Operations Clint Garza, Local Health Department Vaccines for Children Coordinator Amelia Flores, Clinic Manager Margie Rodriguez, and ImmTrac Specialist Elsira De Leon, Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Whisenant.