DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - The school year will soon wrap up, but health departments are urging parents to start thinking ahead to the next school year now.
Tarrant County Public Health is urging parents to schedule appointments for vaccinations.
"That way, when it's back-to-school time, kids are not excluded from school and second, they don't have to wait in line to get through and get this done," says Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja.
He says Tarrant County Public Health sees an average of 5,000 kids at the roundup. Each year, hundreds of people start lining up before dawn for the Tarrant Back to School Roundup at Will Rogers Memorial Center.
Taneja says the risk of an outbreak increases if too many kids are not vaccinated.
"If there are too many children who are not getting vaccinated for a variety of reasons, there's a risk of outbreaks of certain diseases," he says.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 15 cases of measles this year, including one in Tarrant County. Taneja says missing a vaccination also puts kids at risk of diseases like mumps and pertussis.
Online: Tarrant County Flu Shot Reservations | Dallas County Clinics | Collin County Clinics | Denton County Clinics
