The CDC released a study this week that will be published in next month’s edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that shows that three quarters of American children received the recommended vaccines in 2008. This is up from one half of children in a 2000 study. Another recent study done by researchers in Denver showed that the risk of children developing chickenpox is increased nine-fold in children who do not receive the chicken pox vaccine. We will spend time on The Denver Channel 7 discussing the results of these studies, and some of the reasons that vaccinations for children are such an important part of keeping our children healthy.
Is it surprising that so many American children are now being vaccinated?
It is a welcome finding that so many parents are vaccinating their children according to the CDC’s guidelines. The increase in vaccination compliance is probably from multiple factors, but one important factor is the research that has been done to dispel many of the concerns about the safety of vaccines over the past few years, reassuring parents that these vaccines are much safer than threat posed by the diseases they are preventing.
Why are childhood vaccinations so important?
Many of us do not remember the days when no vaccines were available, and diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria and polio caused major public health concerns for children. However, our parents certainly do. In the 1940s and 1950s, many children were not allowed to go out and play during the summer when polio was more common. The threat of paralysis or worse, being unable to breathe for themselves and put into iron lungs were terrifying possibilities for parents of young children.
All of the diseases that we now immunize against have some very serious side effects
Measles can cause brain inflammation (encephalitis) , mumps can produce sterility in males, tetanus is fatal 10-20% of the time, and diphtheria, too, can block the airway and cause death. We are so fortunate to live in a time when our children can be protected from these illnesses.
Let’s discuss the chickenpox study – why is it important?
Chickenpox has been known as a generally mild disease. However, can produce life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia and encephalitis in adults – and it is teratogenic – meaning that it can produce deformities in fetuses whose mothers develop the disease during pregnancy. Preventing chicken pox in children not only helps the children, but also protects the parents, unborn children and other adults of the people around the immunized child. More than that, it prevents shingles, which also caused by the chickenpox virus.
What is the recommended vaccines our viewers should consider for their children?
Which viruses your child should receive is something that should be discussed with your child’s healthcare provider. However, in general, the recommended childhood vaccines are diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliovirus, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B and varicella (chickenpox). There are additional vaccinations recommended in children 7 and over.
Good Health! Dr. Dianne
For more information about these vaccinations and diseases, you may want to read the following:
Vaccine schedule for children ages 0-6-
Vaccine Schedule for Children ages 7-18 –
Information on Vaccine preventable illnesses:
February 5th, 2010 at 12:30 am
The best treatment for influenza infections in humans is prevention by vaccination. Work by several laboratories has recently produced vaccines. The first vaccine released in early October 2009 was a nasal spray vaccine. It is approved for use in healthy individuals ages 2 through 49. This vaccine consists of a live attenuated H1N1 virus and should not be used in anyone who is pregnant or immunocompromised. The injectable vaccine, made from killed H1N1, became available in the second week of October. This vaccine is approved for use in ages 6 months to the elderly, including pregnant females. Both of these vaccines have been approved by the CDC only after they had conducted clinical trials to prove that the vaccines were safe and effective. However, caregivers should be aware of the vaccine guidelines that come with the vaccines, as occasionally, the guidelines change.