Jeremy Siegel: This is GBH’s Morning Edition. It is almost back to school around Massachusetts, and parents know that that means lots of germ swapping. Illness and disease spread at schools. It’s inevitable, but vaccinations help. The only problem is vaccination rates — routine shots for kindergartners — ticked down during the pandemic and have yet to rebound, likely contributing to a recent surge in measles cases. Here to talk about efforts to bump up vaccination rates is Georgina Peacock, director of the immunization services division at the CDC. Doctor Peacock, good morning.

Dr. Georgina Peacock: Good morning.

Siegel: So why are childhood vaccination rates down?

Peacock: As you mentioned in your introduction, there have been some reductions in vaccine coverage during the pandemic. We believe that happened because children weren’t necessarily getting routine childhood vaccinations at their well-child visits. And we are working very hard to catch up on those vaccinations so that children have the needed vaccinations to start school.

Siegel: What are the vaccines that children do need to get before school?

Peacock: The CDC recommends vaccination against several different diseases. These include things like pertussis or whooping cough, polio, measles, meningitis, and many others. There is a recommended routine childhood schedule that you can reference on the CDC website. It’s www.CDC.gov. Or you can always talk to your child’s health care professional or doctor about which vaccinations are recommended at different ages. Some of the examples of this is there are vaccines that are recommended in those first two years of life, and then some boosters that are recommended right before you start kindergarten, and then some adolescent or late childhood vaccinations. One of the vaccinations that is recommended in entering kindergarten is the MMR vaccine, or the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. And that protects children against measles, mumps and rubella. As you mentioned, we’re seeing some outbreaks of measles in different places in the United States and in fact, across the world. And so making sure you’re up to date on that vaccination is very important.

Siegel: Given increasing hesitancy and misinformation surrounding vaccines, what can you tell us about the safety of the shots?

Peacock: Vaccines provide the best protection against illness, and we know that millions of children safely receive vaccinations each year. There are some common mild side effects, like soreness in the arm after you get a vaccination or fever or mild rash. We also know that serious reactions are extremely rare.

Siegel: What do you tell someone as a health care professional, or what do you recommend other people tell someone they may know who is hesitant, or who hasn’t kept up and gotten the vaccines that they need?

Peacock: It’s important. We know that health care providers are probably the most trusted source of information for this information. So when families have questions, when they want to understand why it’s important to get some of these vaccinations, talking with your doctor about those questions, having a conversation, certainly reduces hesitancy or increases confidence in vaccines. It’s also important to make sure that vaccines are accessible. So we have the program like the Vaccines for Children program, or VFC, which ensures that all children can have access to vaccines. And in particular, VFC covers the cost of vaccines for children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them. So increasing confidence and also making sure there’s access is very important to keeping those vaccine coverage rates high.

Siegel: Doctor Georgina Peacock is the director of the Immunization Services division at the CDC. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

Peacock: Thank you.

Siegel: This is GBH News.

It is back-to-school season around Massachusetts, and parents know that means lots of germ swapping.

The problem is that childhood vaccination rates ticked down during the pandemic and have yet to rebound, likely contributing to a recent rise in measles cases. About 93% of kindergartners nationwide received their required shots in the 2021–22 school year, down from the 95% vaccination rate that stood steady for a decade, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We believe that happened because children weren’t necessarily getting routine childhood vaccinations at their well-child visits [during the pandemic],” Dr. Georgina Peacock, director of the immunization services division at the CDC, told GBH’s Morning Edition co-host Jeremy Siegel. “And we are working very hard to catch up on those vaccinations so that children have the needed vaccinations to start school.”

Those vaccines can provide protection from diseases including polio, measles, meningitis and pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

“One of the vaccinations that is recommended in entering kindergarten is the MMR vaccine, or the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine,” Peacock said. “We’re seeing some outbreaks of measles in different places in the United States and in fact, across the world. And so making sure you’re up to date on that vaccination is very important.”

Parents can reference the CDC’s childhood vaccination schedule for a list of routine shots. Peacock also suggested families talk with their child’s health care provider about vaccines, including any questions or concerns they may have.

“Talking with your doctor about those questions, having a conversation, certainly reduces hesitancy or increases confidence in vaccines,” Peacock said. “Vaccines provide the best protection against illness, and we know that millions of children safely receive vaccinations each year. There are some common mild side effects, like soreness in the arm after you get a vaccination or fever or mild rash. We also know that serious reactions are extremely rare.”

Another important factor in getting children vaccinated is making sure vaccines are accessible to their families, Peacock said.

“We have the program like the Vaccines for Children program, or VFC, which ensures that all children can have access to vaccines,” she said. “VFC covers the cost of vaccines for children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them. So increasing confidence and also making sure there’s access is very important to keeping those vaccine coverage rates high.”