SEATTLE — With Washington’s stay-at-home order still firmly in place, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is alerting parents of a new concern: Kids not getting their regular check-ups and immunizations.
KING 5 spoke exclusively with the AAP President Dr. Sally Goza about some of their biggest concerns.
Most kids visit the doctor yearly for what’s called a well-child visit. It's during those appointments that pediatricians track your child's progress and, in some cases, spot serious concerns.
"You know, you see your children every day. So, you might not notice that they're not growing correctly. If they're not, you know, eating, if there's something going on like a rash that may be concerning to us but it's just been there, and you don't really worry about it. We are worried about missing things," explained Dr. Goza.
Dr. Goza said on average American pediatricians are seeing only 20-40% of the normal volume of patients that they see at this time of year.
Along with monitoring growth, Dr. Goza said during the annual check-ups, doctors are looking for developmental issues, emotional distress, and issues like the anxiety and depression that are affecting some of our kids right now. Dr. Goza said that’s something she wants parents to be mindful of, especially in adolescents and teens where the rate of suicide continues to rise.
She encouraged families to lean on their pediatricians for support and guidance even if it's an appointment over the phone.
Another concern during all this isolation is the potential for another type of outbreak.
"We need to make sure children are getting their vaccines. We do not need a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak during this crisis,” said Dr. Goza. “We do not need measles or whooping cough right now.”
We also asked Dr. Goza about children with special needs like kids with autism and spectrum-related disorders who are not getting their therapies right now. She said call your pediatrician about that too, they can be a vital link to online therapy.
Finally, Dr. Goza asked parents not to wait to go to the hospital if they think there is a problem. She explained that one of her patients broke her arm falling off a trampoline, and her parents delayed getting her treatment out of fear of being exposed to COVID-19 at the hospital. She said parents should not worry about that because your doctor can recommend another way for you or your child to get care, like going to an imaging center or outpatient facility that might not involve the ER.