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August is National Immunization Awareness Month

The new school year is right around the corner and because of that, August has been deemed National Immunization Awareness Month.

After an outbreak of 21 cases of mumps in May in Nebraska, Dr. Meera Varman, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Creighton University, urges parents to make sure their children are vaccinated.

"If students in a population where they’re not adequately immunized, if they end up getting mumps or measles, than it can easily spread to the community where there’s a closed setting, such as a school setting or on college campuses. And we’re having this mumps outbreak in Nebraska, so that’s a potential risk.”

Prior to starting to kindergarten, Nebraska law requires all children to be vaccinated for a variety of illnesses.

Young adults starting college should be vaccinated for mumps, pertussis, influenza and meningitis. Varman also suggests that parents ask physicians about non-required vaccinations their children may need.

Talk to your pediatrician for additional information on vaccinations.