CT DPH Encourages Kids To Get School Vaccines

CONNECTICUT — The state Department of Public Health is asking parents to keep their children up-to-date on vaccines as the school year starts and polio was detected in New York City wastewater.

The polio immunization rate remains high in Connecticut, but has dipped in recent years. The rate of kindergarten students immunized declined from 96.3 percent for the 2019-2020 school year to 95.2 percent for the 2020-2021 year, according to DPH.

Polio wasn't detected in recent Connecticut wastewater samples.

“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in missed well child visits and immunizations,” DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said in a statement. “Recent surveys have shown a drop in the number of Connecticut kindergarten students who were up-to-date on required vaccines, a trend which could lead to cases of vaccine preventable diseases linked to transmission in school if levels continue to drop.”

Related: CT Releases School-By-School Vaccination Data

Parents can check with their child's pediatrician to make sure all vaccines are updated. School nurses can also provide information on required vaccines.