WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

On the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus”, WKTV’s public affairs show, we bring to the public a discussion with a Kent County Department of Health official detailing why vaccinations are important — and required by law — for young children, but also important for teenagers and even college-age youth.

Also on this week’s show is a discussion with Wyoming City Councilor Marissa Postler, who at the age of 23 was elected to represent the city’s 2nd Ward in last fall’s election.

The timeliness of the discussion on vaccinations is not only that August is National Immunizations Month, with this week specifically prompting awareness of vaccinations for preteens and teens to “ensure a healthy future with vaccines”, but also because local public and private schools are in the process of opening the school year.

“Every state has different requirements, ours are written into our public health code,” Mary Wisinski, a registered nurse and Immunization Program Supervisor for the Kent County Health Department, said in a discussion with WKTV’s Ken Norris. “The importance is, if we don’t keep vaccinating, we call it ‘herd immunity’, we will see a resurgence of these vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Wisinski not only stresses the importance of vaccinations for kids but also for high school and college-age youth.

“Also recommended is a booster shot for meningitis at age 16,” she said. “We want those kids to be protected the last two years of high school and when they go off to college.”

“WKTV Journal: In Focus” newest program will start airing on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The program will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., through Aug. 31, on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

The YouTube segment with Mary Wisinski is shown here.