There is a plethora of trustworthy information out there and there is also a lot of questionable and sensationalized information. Doing your homework is important when making important decisions like whether or not to immunize your child (websites full of anecdotal stories are great but don’t always believe it. Look for real research). For all those parents who just aren’t sure, here is some information I think you need to know. For more information, I have given some excellent links at the end of the article.
There are now sixteen available vaccines that help prevent childhood and adolescent disease. measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), polio, varicella, Hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB), mennigococcus, human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza, and pneumococcus.
Measles Mumps and Rubella:
Worldwide measles kills 500,000 people per year. In the decade before the measles vaccination program began, an estimated 3–4 million persons in the United States were infected each year. Of these, 400–500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and another 1,000 developed chronic disability from measles encephalitis. From 1989-1991 an outbreak of 55,000 cases in the U.S. caused 132 deaths. Just when officials thought measles had been eradicated, in 2008 there were 132 reported cases- the most reported in seven years. The majority of these cases were of children who’s parents chose not to have them vaccinated for philosophical or religious reasons. Measles are still on the rise as of 2009 and officials are urging parents to get their children immunized. Measles are extremely contagious. If your child develops measles there is a 1:17 chance of getting pneumonia, a 1:2000 chance of encephalitis, and a 1:1000 chance of death. Mumps can cause deafness and a 1:300 chance of encephalitis. If a woman becomes infected with rubella while pregnant there is a 1:4 chance the child will have Congenital Rubella Syndrome.
In contrast, there is a 1:3000 chance of febrile seizure with resolution and a 1:1,000,000 chance of getting encephalitis or severe allergic reaction from the MMR vaccine.
Diptheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus:
Diphtheria is an infectious disease of the nose and throat that can lead to serious breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, and even death. In recent years, there have been few cases of diphtheria in the United States. However, a diphtheria epidemic recently occurred in countries of the former Soviet Union where many children and adults had not been immunized. Their reported cases of diphtheria rose from 839 in 1989 to 47,802 in 1994, when 1,746 persons died. At least 20 infected individuals exported the disease along the way. If your child gets diphtheria there is a 1:20 chance of death. Pertussis or “whooping cough” is an extremely dangerous disease for infants. It is not easily treated and can result in permanent brain damage or death. During 1997–2000, nearly 30,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States, including 62 pertussis-related deaths. Of infected infants younger than age 6 months, two-thirds needed to be hospitalized. In 2004, 25,827 cases were reported—the most cases reported since 1959 (www.immunize.org, 2009). If your child is not immunized the chances of pneumonia are 1:8, encephalitis is 1:20, and death 1:20. Most people don’t know this but some diseases are shared with your pets, like kennel cough (bordatella pertussis) and whooping cough (bordatella pertussis). Tetanus is often fatal and results from bacteria entering an open wound. The infection attacks the central nervous system and causes prolonged muscles spasms of the jaw, and laryngeal muscles. The chances of death are 3:100.
In contrast, the adverse reactions related to the DTaP are continuous crying for three hours, then full recovery, 1:1000; seizures, then full recovery 1:14,000; high fever (105), 1:16,000; acute encephalopathy or severe allergic reaction: 1:1,000,000; death, none.
Varicella:
Before the availability of a chickenpox vaccine, almost every child suffered from this disease. Between 1988-1995, up to 10,000 people were hospitalized each year from complications of chickenpox—most of them previously healthy children. An average of 43 children died from chickenpox each year from 1990-1994. (See www.immunize.org)
Others:
Hib can cause meningitis. Pneumococcus can cause bloodstream infections and Hep B can cause liver cancer. In 2003-2004 there were 152 Flu related deaths among children. Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea among children and causes the hospitalization of over 55,000 children in the U.S. and over 600,000 deaths worldwide annually. Polio is a highly infectious disease that is still a problem in developing countries. It attacks the nervous system causing paralysis and death. Meningoccocus causes meningitis and is especially prevalent among in teens and college students. Annually 2500 people are infected and of those 300 result in death and 400 in permanent disability. HPV can cause cervical cancer. For more detailed information go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
Are Vaccines Safe?
Because of the doubt being raised about the safety of immunizations, a great deal of research is going into making sure they are safe. Some of the suspicious additives have been taken out of vaccines or are at levels well below toxic. The United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history. Years of testing are required by law before a vaccine can be licensed. Once in use, vaccines are continually monitored for safety and efficacy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continually work to make already safe vaccines even safer.
The Institute of Medicine’s Immunization Safety Review Committee reported no evidence of a causal relationship between thimersol-containing vaccines or MMR vaccines and developmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, speech/language delays, childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger syndrome, or Rett syndrome nor did they find a link between hep b and demyelinating diseases such as MS acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and brachial neuritism (Burns et al, 2009). Even so, with the exception of some influenza vaccines, vaccines in the U.S. are thimerosal free or contain trace amounts.
In the vast majority of cases, vaccines are effective and cause no side effects or only mild reactions such as fever or soreness at the injection site. Very rarely, people experience more serious side effects, like allergic reactions. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if your child has health problems or known allergies to medications or food. Death, or severe reactions to vaccines occur so rarely that the risk is usually difficult to calculate.
Some people should not get certain vaccines or should wait to get them. For instance, children with weak immune systems, as occurs with cancer patients, often need to wait to be vaccinated. Similarly, if a person has had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, she or he should not receive another dose. However, a person with a mild, common illness, such as a cold with a low-grade fever, does not have to wait to be vaccinated. Ask your healthcare provider for more information (Centers for Disease Control, 2009).You can also find fact sheets about contraindications, what type of reactions to expect or be cautious of , and when to call your health care provider at www.cdc.gov.
Some final thoughts:
Parents may argue that there is a low occurrence of disease in the U.S. Yes, there is, and that is because of the success of immunization programs. However, with the influx of visitor from around the globe, pathogens are being reintroduced. In fact, The CDC has documented a rise in childhood diseases such as measles. If you like to travel with your family you also run the risk of bringing home an unwanted souvenir. Another reason parents choose not to immunize is they think it will adversely effect the child’s immune system. Be assured, the immune system is able to handle multiple vaccines. But if you are concerned you can always ask your healthcare provider to only administer one or two at a time. For you neo-hippy, natural medicine types (of which I am one), know that the majority of complimentary-alternative practitioners endorse vaccines. If your reason is a religious one or you don’t trust the government, it will be hard to convince you otherwise.
Also, vaccinating your child provides herd immunity to those medically unable to be vaccinated. When you don’t immunize your child you put others at risk. Unvaccinated people can pass vaccine preventable diseases to babies who are too young to get immunized, children who for some reason did not acquire immunity despite the vaccine, and immunocompromised people such as leukemia, cancer, and HIV/AIDS patients. So for those with a religious excuse, when some baby dies because of your choice, it’s a hard one to reconcile.
Oh yeah, and in Nevada- it’s the law. All children entering the school system, even daycares and private schools are required to have immunizations. A waver is available but if there is an outbreak the schools have the right to exclude your child from school until the outbreak is over. This could potentially cause hardship for the child and the parent.
Please immunize your children.
References and Resources:
www.cdc.gov/vaccines
www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080821.htm
www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/kidsvaccines073107.pdf
www.immunize.org
www.immunofacts.com
www.iom.edu
www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/nursing/childhood_vaccines.htm
www.vaccinesafety.edu
Burns, C., Dunn, A., Brady, M., Starr, N., & Blosser, C. (2009). Pediatric Primary Care (4th ED). Saunders Elsevier:St. Louis, MO.
