Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore — and Tucker, Maryland’s squirmy first dog — appeared this week in the first of a series of from the state’s health department designed to encourage parents and caregivers to make sure their children are up-to-date on their back-to-school vaccinations. Although the Maryland Department of Health typically promotes similar advice to families each fall, the video — posted Thursday on the health department’s social media pages — signifies the start to a larger-than-usual push, health department spokesperson Chase Cook said in an email. “We want to encourage folks to get vaccinated early in life, and later when they may need more targeted doses such as flu and COVID-19,” Cook said.
“These immunizations are also critical for children enrolling and staying in schools.” The campaign, planned to also feature videos starring State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright, Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott and other providers, is being funded by a $1.
8 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The campaign will run through August on the state health department’s YouTube, Nextdoor, Twitter and other social media platforms, then continue throughout the respiratory season to promote treatments and vaccinations for respiratory syncytial virus, as well as updated flu and COVID shots, which are expected to land in doctors’ offices and pharmacies in the fall. Vaccination numbers lagged during the coronavirus pandemic for students across the country, as families missed annual doctors’ visits while the virus surged.
, Maryland reported that only about 90% of kindergarten-aged students received vaccinations for diseases like tetanus, polio, measles and hepatitis B — lower than the targeted rate of 95%. The vaccine exemption rate for kindergartners also increased across the country, including in Maryland, as misinformation about vaccination spread on social media and other platforms. During the , 0.
86% of Maryland students were exempt for medical reasons and 1.54% were exempt for religious reasons. The total exemption rate was highest in Worcester County on the Eastern Shore, with 1.
4% of students reporting medical exemptions and 4.21% reporting religious exemptions. Just , the total exemption rate in Worcester was 1.
73%. The vaccination rate for students in Maryland has since rebounded, even as it continues to elsewhere across the country. Last year, more than 98% of the state’s students started the school year “vaccinated and ready to learn,” Moore said in the video posted on Thursday.
“Let’s keep up the good work, and our administration will do the same as we strive to improve health care access and outcomes for all of Maryland families,” she said in the video, while holding Tucker. “Please, put back-to-school vaccines at the top of your to-do list this month.” While the updated flu and COVID vaccines won’t be available for another few weeks, now is the time for parents and caregivers to make sure that their children have their recommended and required vaccinations to return to school, Wright said in a news release.
She recommended that they make an appointment with their child’s physician or visit a local health clinic. , Maryland students are required to be vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis, among other diseases. Information about back-to-school vaccination clinics across the state can be found on the .
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