County Urges Parents to Vaccinate Infants

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) kicked off yesterday, and Comal County Office of Public Health is urging parents to vaccinate infants to keep them strong and healthy.

With vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps on the rise across the United States, the county said NIIW, now in its 25th year, highlights the importance of protecting infants and children.

“Vaccines have saved numerous lives, and the more children who are vaccinated, the safer and healthier all of us are,” said Cheryl Fraser, the county’s director of public health. “Our office is ready to help any interested parents make sure their children’s immunizations are up to date.”

Speaking at Comal County Commissioners Court on April 25, she said people vaccinate their dogs — and should consider doing likewise with their children.

“Thanks to science and vaccinations we have almost eradicated most childhood diseases, and I’m sure you can talk to your parents or grandparents about how it took so many lives,” she said. “I work with a team that really works really hard to make sure that we keep those diseases at bay and I’m sure that everybody’s seen in the news lately about the measles vaccine and the best thing we can do is start these children off as infants and start immunizing them and protecting them. Why wouldn’t we protect our children? We all vaccinate our dogs.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that routine childhood immunization prevented more than 26 million hospitalizations and 963,000 early deaths between 1994 and 2018. Vaccines now prevent 14 diseases among children before they turn two years old.

The Office of Public Health is located in the county’s Goodwin Annex, 1297 Church Hill Drive, New Braunfels. Residents seeking more information about childhood vaccinations or making an appointment for their children should call the office at 830-221-1150.