PORTLAND, Oregon — With summer coming to a close and students returning to classrooms, doctors are urging families to take precautions this school year.
Kaiser Permanente pediatricians are urging families to ensure their students have the proper vaccinations. Many kids get most of those injections for things like tetanus, chicken pox and measles before beginning kindergarten.
Those vaccinations help create a herd immunity, Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Brittany Bassitt said.
“I know that a lot of us hear about herd immunity, and it really is a thing," Bassitt said. "When a large portion of the population is vaccinated against a disease, we know that that helps minimize a disease from being able to spread effectively within a community.”
Along with those vaccinations, pediatricians are urging families to also get their students flu shots and boosters to protect against COVID-19.
“You're really just setting them up for success by making sure they have all of those necessary vaccines before they get into school,” Bassitt said. “And in addition to that, updated COVID and flu shots as those become available in the next month or so."
Families also need to be cognizant of how much sleep their children get, Bassitt said. Many students don’t get nearly as much rest as they should. Doctors say teens need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Younger kids need even more. They need up to 11 hours of sleep.
“Sleep is so fundamental to so many aspects of health in children,” Bassitt said. “And it’s crucial for their growth and development.”