(WSPA) – At the end of every summer, most parents begin to stress about one thing.
“Oh goodness, going back to school is always a kind of crazy time school shopping for school supplies usually new shoes and new clothes,” said Erin VanDuinen, Anderson County parent.
But it also typically includes that yearly visit to the doctor. There are a number of immunizations that are required for your child prior to heading back to school.
“Its prevention, you are preventing a lot of major illnesses or death just by getting a simple shot,” said nurse Amber Littmann.
But despite the risks of not vaccinating your child, you do have the option to have an immunization exemption. According to DHEC statistics, in the 2015-2016 school year only 1.1 percent of children in South Carolina had the exemption.
“For me it wasn’t a difficult decision because I know there are risks involved with getting the vaccinations, but for me I always felt like there was more of a risk than not getting the vaccinations,” said VanDuinen.
Health professionals said the side effects are only short term with redness to the injection point or a slight fever and long term your child is less likely to fall ill.
“Make sure you teach your child washing your hands and sanitizers it’s very important to prevent them from getting sick and like she said don’t wait until the last minute to get your child vaccinated before they start,” said nurse Mindy Blackwell.
