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Smart Talk: Childhood vaccine rates dropped during the first half of pandemic

FILE PHOTO: Starr Roden, left, a registered nurse and immunization outreach coordinator with the Knox County Health Department, administers a vaccination to Jonathan Detweiler, 6, at the facility in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

 Paul Vernon / AP Photo

FILE PHOTO: Starr Roden, left, a registered nurse and immunization outreach coordinator with the Knox County Health Department, administers a vaccination to Jonathan Detweiler, 6, at the facility in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

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As the global community holds a collective breath in anticipation of a coronavirus vaccine, healthcare professionals are calling attention to another alarming trend.

An analysis of medical claims for childhood immunizations revealed that nearly 17,000 vaccine doses were missed during the first nine months of 2020. These vaccines are for preventable diseases like the measles, whooping cough and polio.

The drop in immunizations is causing concern among healthcare professionals because some the missed vaccines are for highly contagious diseases.

Dr. Jennifer Chambers, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer with Capital Blue Cross and she joins Smart Talk on Monday to share their analysis.

Pulitzer Prize winner on his new book about Kennedy

Also on the Monday’s program we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize winning author Fredrik Logevall to discuss his new book JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century 1917-1956.

The book is a meticulous and fascinating story of John F. Kennedy’s life before he became president.

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