With children now back to school this fall, there is an increased risk in the transmission of infectious diseases such as colds, COVID-19, measles, and pertussis/whooping cough. Staying safe as fall settles into Saskatchewan is the number one priority on the minds of parents with children back in the classrooms.
Dr. David Torr is a Medical Health Officer working under the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Area Department lead for the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine for the integrated rural area within the southern region of Saskatchewan.
He joined DiscoverMooseJaw this week in a podcast discussing the outbreak of whooping cough in the eastern provinces of Ontario and Quebec, improving immunization rates in Saskatchewan post-COVID outbreak, and ways to protect yourself and your children this school year.
“Any population where there is not enough vaccination or you don't have the vaccine, definitely at risk regardless of how healthy you are. It's very communal in spreading in schools, in football or other sports activities where people get together, you can easily see quick spreading.”
However, there are vaccinations available for these diseases which means if parents and caretakers ensure that everyone within their family is up to date on their immunizations, everybody can stay safe this school year.
This article was originally written by Gordon Edgar of DiscoverMooseJaw and can be accessed by clicking HERE.