It’s the time of year again. Viruses are spreading as people gather in close quarters and stay indoors more.
RSV, flu, COVID, and other viruses are spreading throughout North Carolina this winter. And when one person gets sick, it can have a domino effect. Parents miss work staying home with sick kids. Those kids miss school. The immunocompromised and the elderly need to be extra cautious of illness, which can lead to feelings of isolation.
Washing hands, staying home from work when sick, and getting vaccinated can all help curb the spread of these illnesses. Vaccines are a scientifically proven method of slowing and decreasing the spread of viruses and helping to create herd immunity.
But vaccine hesitancy can make people think twice about getting a shot — and experts in the medical community say we are now feeling the impact of that. Mecklenburg County has seen a rise in pneumonia cases. This past September, a Mecklenburg County child with measles was the first confirmed case reported in North Carolina since 2018. Whooping cough has also recently spiked in North Carolina. And over the past decade, overall vaccination coverage for kindergarteners has been dropping nationally.
On the next Charlotte Talks, we take a look at the viruses currently impacting our area, the science and data behind vaccines, how vaccines are researched and created, and why some people are still hesitant to get them. We also look at what impact the next Trump administration could have on vaccines and health policies.
GUESTS:
Dr. Bonnie Coyle, medical director of Mecklenburg County
Rose Hoban, founder and editor at North Carolina Health News
Dave Wessner, professor of biology at Davidson College
