As you know if you have been reading this blog, I am a proponent of immunization. As a parent, it is our job to protect our children from harm, and that includes harm from preventable diseases. I think all children should be vaccinated if they are not at some kind of risk. And, if you are interested, you can always check out my posts on the individual vaccinations here.
National Infant Immunization Week, or NIIW, scheduled for April 25-May 2, gives doctors and public health officials an opportunity to emphasize the importance of protecting children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases. There have been recent outbreaks of Hib (in Minnesota and Pennsylvania) that resulted in the deaths of four children who were either unvaccinated or undervaccinated as well as seven cases of measles in PA since March 31st of this year.
Many parents aren't aware that they can alter the vaccination schedule if they feel their child is receiving too many vaccinations at once. And more and more pediatricians are willing to work with parents on such a schedule if it means that the children would otherwise be unvaccinated altogether.
Dr. Paul Offit (a member of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and author of Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
), says that such concerns (regarding the number of vaccinations given to children), are understandable but misguided. He said that in 1980, U.S. children were recommended to receive only three vaccines by age 2 -- diphtheria, tetanus toxoid and whole-cell pertussis vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, and the combination mumps, measles and rubella vaccine. Children received a total of five inoculations, with no more than two occurring in any one office visit, and were protected from seven diseases.Today, children receive 26 inoculations by age 2 and as many as five at one time for protection from 14 diseases. However, said Offit, improved vaccine manufacturing practices have decreased the number of antigens (the substance that prompts the generation of antibodies and can cause an immune response) a child receives by age 2 from 3,041 in 1980 (for 5 inoculations) to about 150 today (for 26 inoculations). That's a 95% reduction in antigens!! WOW!
I am not by any means telling you what to do but I am a proponent of science. YOU have to make what YOU think is the right decision for YOUR FAMILY. This week is just kind of "set aside" to remind parents and practitioners about the importance of immunization for ALL members of the family, adults and children alike.
More Information:
- Childhood Immunization Support Program (CISP) - from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- CISP Audio Advice Interviews - a collection of interviews with pediatricians, researchers and other parents. (also from the AAP)
- National Immunization Program - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
