 August is National Immunization Awareness Month and following the pandemic, many school-aged children are behind on vaccinations. We spoke to Public Health Director Tammy Riley on how you can keep you and your child protected this school year. In Kentucky, specifically, we saw cases of measles arise last year and we're seeing some pockets of pertussis better known as whipping cough in Kentucky, so that's concerning. And with vaccination rates, you know, slightly behind where we want them to be for herd immunity, we're trying to raise awareness for where children are with their immunizations in Kentucky and Pot County. And we know that some children are behind COVID, likely played a role in that, so we're trying to help parents through a variety of ways. When my baby was born, it was magical. And as she grew, having a hospital close to home with advanced healthcare and specialized physicians being there along the journey was important. And along that journey, many special doctors touched our lives. And then one day, my baby became a woman and a mother herself. Pikeville Medical Center, caring for every moment in life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 10,000 people die each year from diseases that vaccines can prevent. What I would recommend families' appearance to do is to go to reliable resources, trusted resources like the Center for Disease Control, local health, or their trusted pediatrician. That's where they're going to find answers that they know are accurate and based on research and evidence-based data. For more information and additional resources, go to Pike County Health Department on Facebook. Reporting for Mountain Top News, I'm Breanna Robinson.