KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As East Tennessee students get ready to head back to school, local doctors are urging parents to schedule physical exams.
WBIR spoke to Dr. Robert Wilson, a family practice physician in Roane County, who said right now is the time to identify any new conditions your child may be dealing with.
During a physical exam, doctors will check for symptoms of asthma or diabetes, make sure the child is growing properly, and look into motor skills, hearing and vision.
Wilson said it is also good for a doctor to check the child's emotional and behavioral well-being.
"Are they having any trouble learning? Is there attention deficits, things like that?" Wilson commented. "You are trying to pick up on things that might require special accommodations in school or with test taking, like ADHD."
Wilson said he also likes to talk to families about the importance of diet and exercise. For kids, he explained it is not about restricting calories, but more about promoting healthy choices when it comes to eating.
Another important part of back-to-school physicals, Wilson explained, is making sure your children are up to date on their vaccines.
For children going into Kindergarten, he said they should have their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) and polio vaccine.
For middle school students, he said it is important for them to be up to date on their human papillomavirus (HPV). He mentioned that vaccines can help prevent throat and neck cancers. Wilson said you also want them to have their tetanus booster and meningitis vaccine.
When it comes to high school students, Wilson recommended the second meningitis vaccine. He explained many colleges and universities will require this vaccine, particularly if the student will be on campus.
"I think it is one of the best things you can do for your child," Wilson said regarding vaccinating children. "There is no reason any child should die from measles or invasive meningococcal disease these days."
In June, the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) reported an increase in pertussis infections, also known as whooping cough. Officials reported cases were more than five times higher than what they see on a regular year.
Wilson recognized there is a lot of hesitancy out there when it comes to vaccines. He encouraged parents to do their own research and then discuss it with their doctor.
"Part of it is trusting your doctor and understanding your doctor has seen these things before," Wilson added. "We are always getting information and reading information about studies that are coming out on side effects of the vaccines and studies that are ongoing and information from the CDC."