Photo by Deb Gau Dr. Timothy Mok, chief medical officer for the Avera Marshall region, talks about vaccine recommendations for children.

dgau@marshallindependent.com

MARSHALL — Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health said it will continue to follow medical associations’ guidelines for vaccinating children, instead of a reduced vaccine schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Avera Marshall is also following vaccine guidelines from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Dr. Timothy Mok, chief medical officer for the Avera Marshall region. However, he said it’s important for area residents to know they can turn to their doctors with questions, or to talk about health care options for their families.

“It’s very important to have that discussion with your provider,” Mok said this week. “They would know the individual patient and family the best.”

On Jan. 8, the Minnesota Department of Health announced that it would align its guidance for immunizations with recommendations from professional medical associations, instead of new recommendations from the CDC. The MDH said it would follow vaccination recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Mok said the recommendations from the AAP, the AAFP and the ACOG reflected evidence-based medicine that was backed up by scientific study. The Avera Health system had also considered both sets of vaccine recommendations, he said.

Earlier this month, the CDC reduced the number of vaccinations that it recommended every child receive. The CDC said it will continue to recommend that children be vaccinated against a list of 11 infectious diseases, including diseases like measles, whooping cough and chickenpox. However, it recommended that parents talk with their doctors to decide whether to vaccinate children against rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A and B.

The MDH had previously shifted away from new CDC recommendations on COVID and hepatitis B vaccines.

“This change at the federal level does not reflect the best available science. Medical association immunization schedules are evidence-based, reflect current clinical practice and are developed through established professional review processes,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said in the MDH’s announcement last week. “Aligning our recommendations with professional medical associations helps provide clarity and stability for families and providers by using a proven set of recommendations that doctors, and other clinicians, already know and trust.”

The MDH said vaccines recommended by professional medical associations are still covered by private insurance and are available through the Minnesota Vaccines for Children program.

With different organizations making different recommendations about immunization schedules, “People are going to have questions,” Mok said.

Health care providers would be able to help answer questions, and talk about health care options with patients and families.

“If you have questions, you can talk with your primary care doctors,” Mok said.

Mok said vaccinations are a safe and effective way to prevent serious illness. Getting vaccinated can also help protect other people, like those who don’t respond to a vaccine.

“It’s really protecting those that are most vulnerable amongst us,” Mok said.

Seasonal vaccinations like flu shots can also help prevent serious illness.

“This year, it’s been a busy flu season,” Mok said.

The MDH’s weekly situation update for influenza, which came out on Thursday, said the current number of influenza hospitalizations in Minnesota has decreased compared to a couple of weeks ago. However, there have been a total of 3,583 Minnesotans hospitalized this flu season.

If area residents haven’t gotten a flu shot yet, it’s not too late to get one, Mok said.