Further Reading

Why is immunizing children so important?

by Tariq M. Khan, MD, FAAP

As pediatricians we love to talk about immunizing children as it is the single most important measure we have in our doctor’s bag to keep children from getting these very serious and, at times, life-threatening diseases and conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a report card on childhood immunizations in September 2011. New York is one of only ten states where fewer than 90% of children have had at least one or more doses of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine recommended by the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). At the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi had the best performance with very few kids unvaccinated.

Time and again, vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in preventing debilitating diseases. Smallpox has been eradicated from the general population thanks to vaccines. Likewise, polio, mumps, rubella, measles and other maladies have been relegated to the back burners of our healthcare minds because vaccines are so effective. However, there are signs of these diseases making a comeback with outbreaks that have been deadly. One of the causes of this happening is, at times, parents’ unwillingness to vaccinate children based on nonscientific and biased information.

Parents should understand that children are going to interact with others at school, daycare, and other social settings. Unvaccinated children can be carriers for transmitting deadly diseases to others. Children with compromised immune systems who cannot be vaccinated are especially at risk. If parents talk to their own parents and grandparents, they will find they lived with the fear of these diseases. They lost children and other loved ones to the diseases folks think are a no big deal because the present generation of parents has not seen these conditions themselves.

California recently endured the largest whooping cough outbreak in over 50 years. Over 9000 got ill, and ten infants died. In the last couple of years, there have been more cases of measles in the US than any year since 1996. This is not a harmless disease. A large number of people who get it need to be hospitalized. We had our recent whooping cough outbreak in Chautauqua County’s few school districts right before school ended this year.

Vaccinations are some of the most important tools available for preventing disease, according to the CDC. Vaccinations not only protect children from developing a potentially serious disease but also protect the community by reducing the spread of infectious disease. If enough people are immunized, the disease may not be transmitted through a population, thus protecting everyone. A community awareness campaign called Every Child by Two urges parents to make sure their children are protected against some of the diseases of childhood before the child reaches two years of age.

Parents should consult their doctors about which vaccines their children should have and when. Up to date information is also available from the CDC, AAP, and state health organizations. It is important that, as parents, we stay ever more vigilant and keep our children up to date on the vaccines needed to keep them protected against these serious and deadly diseases.