To Have a Healthy School Year, Ensure Everyone Has Access to Immunizations_我的网站
A | ARRAS, France -- France will mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers to increase security around the country after a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people wounded in a school attack by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization, the president’s office said Saturday.Some children and personnel returned to the Gambetta-Carnot school in the northern city of Arras as it reopened Saturday morning, after a schoolday attack Friday that rattled France in a context of global tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.Counterterrorism authorities are investigating the stabbing, and the suspected assailant and several others are in custody, prosecutors said. The suspect is a Chechen who had attended the school and had been under recent surveillance by intelligence services for radicalization.The government heightened the national threat alert, and President Emmanuel Macron ordered up to 7,000 soldiers deployed by Monday night and until further notice to bolster security and vigilance around France, his office said. The “Attack Emergency” threat posture allows the government to temporarily mobilize the military to protect public places among other measures.At the school Saturday morning, police stood guard as adults and children trickled in. Classes were canceled, but the school reopened for those who wanted to come together or seek support. One mother said she came with her 17-year-old daughter in a show of defiance against extremism, and to overcome the fear of returning to a site where children were locked down for hours after the stabbing.The attacker's exact motive remains unclear, and he is reportedly refusing to speak to investigators.For many in France, the attack echoed the killing of another teacher, Samuel Paty, almost exactly three years ago near his Paris area school. He was beheaded by a radicalized Chechen later killed by police.The suspect in this week's attack had been under surveillance since the summer on suspicion of Islamic radicalization, French intelligence services told the Associated Press. He was detained Thursday for questioning based on the monitoring of his phone calls in recent days, but investigators found no sign that he was preparing an attack, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. French intelligence suggested a link between the war in the Middle East and the suspect’s decision to attack, the minister said. He said authorities have detained 12 people near schools or places of worship since the Hamas attack on Israel, some of whom were armed and were preparing to act. France has heightened security at hundreds of Jewish sites around the country this week.The prosecutor said the alleged assailant was a former student there and repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic during the attack. Prosecutors are considering charges of terrorism-related murder and attempted murder against the suspect.The dead educator was Dominique Bernard, a French language teacher at the Gambetta-Carnot school, which enrols students ages 11-18. Another teacher and a security guard were in critical condition with wounds from the stabbing, police said. The counterterrorism prosecutor said a cleaning worker was also injured. Announcing that the school would reopen Saturday, Macron urged the people of France to “stay united.”“The choice has been made not to give in to terror,” he said. “We must not let anything divide us, and we must remember that schools and the transmission of knowledge are at the heart of this fight against ignorance.”___Charlton reported from Paris. Nicolas Garriga in Arras and John Leicester in Paris contributed.。
As physicians who care for children and families, our mission is to keep our patients healthy and help them thrive.
With many students heading back to school soon (and some having already started classes), we know all too well what it’s like for families to navigate this changing season – and importantly, to try to stay healthy. Along with the excitement and energy that each new school year brings, this is also a time of exposure to all the viruses that we typically see during the colder months. This year, that includes colds, the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV) and COVID-19.
As families prepare for the year ahead, it’s important that children’s immune systems are also prepared to detect and resist viruses so that they can stay healthy and thrive. Just like how software updates to your phone or computer keep things in working order, vaccines help your body’s immune system work better. We also know that when everyone can access recommended immunizations on time, it stops preventable diseases from spreading through our communities.
Vaccines are one of the greatest medical advances in history. Thanks to widespread immunization, we have eradicated or controlled many diseases that once caused pain, suffering and even death for countless children – from smallpox and polio to tetanus and measles. Plus, when children stay healthy and free of such debilitating diseases, they can succeed by staying in school and safely participating in activities like sports and other after-school programs. This continuity helps improve children’s social and emotional development and their entire quality of life.
Unfortunately, parents must currently try to find guidance about their child’s health in a sea of mis- and disinformation. In the age of social media, misinformation about many topics is rampant, and vaccines are no exception. We encourage everyone to seek information from a trusted source, like their family physician or pediatrician – the same way that we work together with parents to offer guidance on other important topics like healthy nutrition, injury prevention and so much more.
At that same time, we do need better ways to talk about vaccines, along with ways to help parents identify accurate sources of information that they can trust. We must also ensure that vaccines are widely available, easy to find and affordable to everyone.
Right now, the U.S. is lagging behind. In 2022, only 45.9% of children received a flu shot, down from 53.1% in 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is compounded by research that showed a two-year decline in children receiving routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also concerning is CDC research showing that 8% of children had not had a well-child checkup within the last year – and that 6% didn’t have a doctor’s visit at all. A recent UNICEF report also shows 67 million children across the world missed out on one or more vaccinations over the last three years. These children are missing opportunities for immunizations as well as vital guidance on mental health, nutrition and other areas of child health and development.
These statistics are even more reason for parents, physicians and policymakers to ramp up vaccine education and ensure that children and their families can access vaccines and other routine medical care.
As physicians who care for families and who watch children grow up over many years, pediatricians and family physicians are well-positioned to help patients and their parents navigate challenges in getting vaccines. In addition to helping overcome barriers like lack of insurance or transportation, we can also serve as sources of accurate information. We can be a backstop against the rampant misinformation parents encounter in social media and a sounding board for their questions.
But physicians cannot do this alone. Policymakers must recognize the need to help families who qualify stay enrolled in Medicaid and to protect programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which offers coverage for those who might not be eligible for Medicaid. We must expand the number of hospitals and clinicians who participate in the federally funded Vaccines for Children program, which today offers vaccines to nearly half the nation’s children. This program is critical because it helps ensure vaccine and health equity. And we must also ensure that physicians have the support they need to continue physically storing, administering and counseling families on vaccines.
In the end, we all share a collective responsibility to safeguard the health of our nation’s children and the health of the public. As your doctors, we know that we are all healthier when everyone is vaccinated.
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