YES! VACCINATE!
Most parents want to do what is best for their children. They understand the importance of car seats, baby gates and other ways to keep children safe. But, one of the best ways to protect children is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations. When people place the majority of the public at risk because of their own personal misinformed beliefs rather than proceed according to expert recommendations then they should be held accountable for endangering the lives of our kids and the public in general.
Vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from
vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90% yet many parents still question
the safety of immunizations because of misinformation they received. (See below
for further details on misinformation.)
Immunizations have helped children stay healthy for more than 50
years. They are safe and
they work.
Immunizations can save your child’s life. Because of advances in medical science,
your child can be protected against more diseases than ever before. Some
diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been
eliminated completely and others are close to extinction– primarily due to safe
and effective vaccines.
Immunization protects others
you care about. Children
in the U.S. still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen
resurgences of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) over the past few years.
In 2010 the U.S. had over 21,000 cases of whooping cough reported and 26
deaths, most in children younger than 6 months. Unfortunately, some babies are
too young to be completely vaccinated and some people may not be able to
receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems
from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is
important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully
immunized. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the
spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones.
Immunization
protects future generations. Vaccines
have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or
severely disabled people just a few generations ago. For example, smallpox
vaccination eradicated that disease worldwide. Your children don’t have to get
smallpox shots anymore because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating
children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will
pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased,
and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen in the United
States. If we continue vaccinating now, and vaccinating completely, parents in
the future may be able to trust that some diseases of today will no longer be
around to harm their children in the future.
Let's take a closer look at a couple of examples:
VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASE: PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough)
Infants too young to be fully immunized remain most vulnerable to severe and fatal cases of pertussis.
What is pertussis?
Pertussis, also called “whooping cough,” is a very contagious disease caused by bacteria (germs). Pertussis is usually mild in older children and adults, but it often causes serious problems in very young children (i.e., infants less than one year of age).
How is pertussis spread?
The germs that cause pertussis live in the nose, mouth and throat, and are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. Other people nearby can then inhale the germs. Touching a tissue or sharing a cup used by someone with pertussis can also spread the disease. The first symptoms usually appear about 7 to 10 days after a person is exposed. Infants often get pertussis from older children or adults.
Who gets pertussis?
Pertussis is most common among infants less than a year old, but anyone can get it. Pertussis can be hard to diagnose in very young infants, teens and adults because their symptoms often look like a cold with a nagging cough.
Is pertussis dangerous?
It can be, especially for infants. Pertussis can cause breathing problems (apnea), pneumonia, and swelling of the brain (encephalopathy), which can lead to seizures and brain damage. Pertussis can also cause death (rarely), especially in very young infants.
Can pertussis be prevented?
Yes, there is a vaccine to prevent pertussis. It is given along with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines in the same shot (called DTaP or Tdap). Five doses of vaccine, given in a series starting at 2 months of age, are needed to protect a child from pertussis. An adolescent and adult booster vaccine is recommended for persons 11-12 years and older. The vaccine works for most children, but it wears off after a number of years.
In CA. Sixty-six of the hospitalized cases to date this year (June 2014) have been in children 4 months old or younger. Two infants have died so far. Health officials point to a lack in immunizations, waning immunity and more aggressive detection as reasons behind the spike in whooping cough cases. There's 313 documented cases thus far this year in Fl. which is up 112 for the same time period last year.
What is pertussis?
Pertussis, also called “whooping cough,” is a very contagious disease caused by bacteria (germs). Pertussis is usually mild in older children and adults, but it often causes serious problems in very young children (i.e., infants less than one year of age).
How is pertussis spread?
The germs that cause pertussis live in the nose, mouth and throat, and are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. Other people nearby can then inhale the germs. Touching a tissue or sharing a cup used by someone with pertussis can also spread the disease. The first symptoms usually appear about 7 to 10 days after a person is exposed. Infants often get pertussis from older children or adults.
Who gets pertussis?
Pertussis is most common among infants less than a year old, but anyone can get it. Pertussis can be hard to diagnose in very young infants, teens and adults because their symptoms often look like a cold with a nagging cough.
Is pertussis dangerous?
It can be, especially for infants. Pertussis can cause breathing problems (apnea), pneumonia, and swelling of the brain (encephalopathy), which can lead to seizures and brain damage. Pertussis can also cause death (rarely), especially in very young infants.
Can pertussis be prevented?
Yes, there is a vaccine to prevent pertussis. It is given along with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines in the same shot (called DTaP or Tdap). Five doses of vaccine, given in a series starting at 2 months of age, are needed to protect a child from pertussis. An adolescent and adult booster vaccine is recommended for persons 11-12 years and older. The vaccine works for most children, but it wears off after a number of years.
In CA. Sixty-six of the hospitalized cases to date this year (June 2014) have been in children 4 months old or younger. Two infants have died so far. Health officials point to a lack in immunizations, waning immunity and more aggressive detection as reasons behind the spike in whooping cough cases. There's 313 documented cases thus far this year in Fl. which is up 112 for the same time period last year.
POLIO
A resurgence of polio in the Middle East and Africa has sparked a dire warning from public health officials, including U.S. experts who fear the deadly virus is just a plane ride away.
A resurgence of polio in the Middle East and Africa has sparked a dire warning from public health officials, including U.S. experts who fear the deadly virus is just a plane ride away.
Childhood vaccines eliminated polio from the U.S. in 1979, and are still used today to prevent new infections. But more and more parents are delaying vaccines or skipping them altogether, leaving their children vulnerable to deadly diseases.
MEASLES, MUMPS
MEASLES, MUMPS
Just this year (2014) the U.S. has seen a spike in measles cases, even though the virus was wiped out more than a decade ago. Mumps is also on the rise, and the first U.S. cases of MERS emerged recently.
CDC (2014): Measles cases in USA hit 20-year high
MISINFORMATION and CONTROVERSY
The MMR vaccine controversy centered around the 1998 publication of a fraudulent research paper in the medical journal The Lancet that lent support to the subsequently discredited claim that colitis and autism spectrum disorders could be caused by the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
FURTHER READING:
Study Linking Vaccines to Autism Is “Fraudulent” http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/06/study-linking-vaccines-to-autism-is-fraudulent/
The Dangerous History of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracies
http://www.weather.com/health/just-prick-origin-and-evolution-anti-vaccine-movement-20140228
RESOURCES:
CDC
AAP
Healthy Children
USA TODAY MAY 29, 2014
