Dallas County offering back to school vaccinations

DALLAS - Doctors in Texas are adapting to public skepticism about vaccines by changing the way they communicate with patients.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports the number of children exempt from vaccines in schools rose 14 percent last year. More than 60,000 Texas parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children since 2003.

Doctors are worried the anti-vaccination movement could create a widespread disease outbreak.

Dr. Philip Huang, the head of Dallas County Health and Human Services discussed his concerns on Good Day.

"We all have the same interest in protecting the children and their health. There's a lot of misinformation out there. There have been some fraudulent studies that have put a lot of incorrect messages out there. They're safe. They're effective. People forget what it was like before we had immunizations," he said.

Huang believes part of the problem is that misinformation spreads faster than ever before thanks to the internet.

The spike in measles cases this past year makes the back to school vaccine season all the more urgent.

DCHHS is offering free vaccines for children, regardless of if they are insured or not, on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon.

LINK: www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/immunizations-nav.php