Back-to-school season is here, and Ohio’s top doctor wants to make sure parents have all the resources and information they need to keep their kids healthy. Thursday, the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, was joined by Ohio doctors to discuss the risks kids will face this fall and winter.
Vanderhoff started with the latest on COVID-19 and said while cases are spiking, they’re increasing from very low numbers. He said a new bivalent booster would be available this fall and encouraged Ohioans to roll up their sleeves. Vanderhoff also recommended a seasonal flu shot and celebrated the approval of an RSV vaccine for infants. The vaccine, called nirsevimab, is expected to be added to childhood immunization schedules.
“Their recommendation is that infants born shortly before or during RSV season should get a shot within one week of birth,” he said.
Vanderhoff added that children younger than eight months who haven’t had the RSV vaccine should also get one before RSV season starts. As should children between eight and 19 months with underlying conditions that put them at a higher risk, like premature birth. Vanderhoff invited Dr. Michael Forbes from Akron Children’s Hospital to stress the importance of preventative medicine like vaccines.
“I have seen the worst versions of RSV,” Forbes said of his experience as a pediatrician and working in the pediatric ICU. “Where it’s either life-changing, life-threatening or even resulted in loss of life. So this is actually a historic moment for us in pediatrics.”
Since the RSV vaccine will be included in the federal Vaccines for Children program, Vanderhoff said it would be free for most families. It’s expected to be available by mid-October, just in time for RSV season, which typically runs from October through April, according to the CDC.
Vanderhoff also addressed student mental health as we head into the new school year. He invited Dr. Mary Carol Burkhardt from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to talk about what kind of warning signs parents can look out for if their children are experiencing stress or anxiety.
“Changes in behavior where kids are potentially having more temper tantrums, potentially more withdrawn, potentially not able to do the typical things that they once enjoyed doing,” she said.
The doctors both stressed the importance of destigmatizing mental health issues and reminded Ohioans of the free Suicide and Crisis Hotline, 988.
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