Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 6:54AM |  43°
MENU
Advertisement
1
MORE

Keeping children healthy: Kids should still get routine checkups

Amr Alfiky/Associated Press

Keeping children healthy: Kids should still get routine checkups

COVID-19 is not the only threat to children’s health

With the risk of the extremely contagious coronavirus, many parents have been avoiding taking their children to playgrounds, libraries and other public places. But they’ve also been skipping visits to the pediatrician and that has doctors worried.

Officials with the American Academy of Pediatrics say that the number of children seeing their pediatricians for regular visits is now only about 20% or 30% of what it would normally be this time of year.

In some cases, parents are taking advantage of telemedicine to arrange virtual doctor visits for their children, but that doesn’t account for most of the steep drop in office appointments, the group said.

Advertisement

Skipping regular doctor visits means that children miss necessary vaccinations for other dangerous diseases, such as measles or meningitis. And doctors also worry that without regular visits they may miss signs of other illnesses or medical conditions that can be spotted during well checks.

And, doctors say, the conditions created by the pandemic — including stress and anxiety — can make it even more important for children to get a checkup from their pediatrician.

Doctors say that parents are anxious about bringing small children into offices where they might be exposed to the coronavirus. To manage the risk, physicians have been taking extra precautions, deep cleaning and disinfecting their offices and arranging for drive-through clinics to reduce contact.

The risks associated with an entire generation falling behind on its vaccinations also are concerning, pediatricians have said. Already, vaccination rates in the United States have been slipping in recent years, which many doctors attribute to anti-vaccination myths.

Advertisement

It is particularly important for children to receive the measles vaccinations they need as that disease is making a comeback. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded nearly 1,300 measles cases, which was the highest number of cases in 25 years. Most of the cases were among people who had not been vaccinated.

Concerns over coronavirus contagion are real and reasonable, but COVID-19 is not the only threat to children’s health. Parents should take precautions, but also make sure their children keep up with regular checkups to stay healthy.

First Published: May 11, 2020, 10:15 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Agents took Rachel Marie Powell, 40, of Sandy Lake, into custody in New Castle on Feb. 4, 2021.
1
news
Pardoned for Jan. 6, 'Pink Hat Lady' came home to a new reality in Western Pa.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, shown delivering his budget address in early February, said on Monday that a federal freeze of money intended for Pennsylvania is over.
2
news
Gov. Shapiro says federal freeze and blockages of $2.1 billion for Pa. are now over
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
3
news
Gunman in UPMC mass shooting battled lifelong mental health issues, says ex-girlfriend
The Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, where state Acting Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe on Monday answered budget questions from lawmakers.
4
news
Pa. acting education secretary 'exceptionally concerned' after report on cyber charter school funding
The Downtown Pittsburgh skyline, with the view from Station Square on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
5
news
DHS director says Allegheny County could face reduction in millions of dollars for Medicaid, other services
 (Amr Alfiky/Associated Press)
Amr Alfiky/Associated Press
Advertisement
LATEST opinion
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story