Health officials urge parents to vaccinate students

LANSING, Mich. ( WLNS ) — With the new school year underway, Michigan health officials are warning of a rise in unvaccinated children.

During a Tuesday morning news conference, state health officials said about 1 in 10 students are coming to class without getting shots, including those that protect against potentially deadly diseases.

Health officials said the vaccination numbers have been falling since the COVID-19 pandemic and if the trend continues, more children could die from diseases that are prevented with a shot.

State officials say 67% of parents initially said their infants and toddlers were up to date on their shots. Though that rate rose to more than 90% by the time school started, the state also sees many parents asking for waivers.

State officials said part of the reason has been growing misinformation on vaccinations.

“In many cases, these are the same vaccines we got as children,” Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said. “And in some cases, our parents got when they were children. And there have been diseases that have been eliminated and have really declined that could return if we don’t take action.”

The state encourages parents who want more information to go to the Michigan Health and Human Services website .

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