For the last few years there has been a war on vaccination that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. Scientists and doctors are stressing the importance of vaccinating your child with recent news coming up every day about another deadly disease taking the life of an unvaccinated child. Not only is it a healthy, effective form of prevention against many diseases, but it can save lives. Since it’s National Immunization Month, we here at the Wright Stuff are going to break down some of the benefits that come with vaccination and some of the risks without vaccination.

The Risks for Those Disabled

Certain diseases such as a heart condition or asthma have a higher risk of being infected by influenza due to the immune system not working properly. The elderly that might be in poor health also have a greater risk of influenza, so those flu shots that we see in our local drug stores aren’t a sham, they actually can save a life. Each year, 300,000 to 500,000 people die because of influenza and something as small as a yearly flu shot can prevent this many deaths.

Immunization is especially important for active caregivers or those planning to be caregivers in the future, as your patient can have a weakened immune system from a chronic illness that even if they were vaccinated themselves, it can still be quite deadly. Not only is it safer for a caregiver to be regularly vaccinated for influenza, it’s also good practice to keep clean and sterile when working with a patient.

Statistics speak for us all when we explain the importance of immunization, the outbreak of Measles alone should be enough to make anyone want to vaccinate. Since January of this year to mid July, there has been a reported 107 cases of Measles. It’s still no match for the shocking 667 cases of Measles in 2014, but the number will continue to grow for 2018 if we aren’t careful. The reports show that the majority of the people reporting their case of Measles weren’t vaccinated.

The Benefits of Vaccination

During any pregnancy, there’s always several doctors and nurses that bring up vaccination for you and your child. Not many people know that most pregnant women receive vaccinations during their pregnancy so their newborn won’t be exposed to these illnesses early on. Nearly twenty newborns die each year from Whooping Cough in the United States, so by receiving immunization to this illness during pregnancy, your body passes these protective antibodies to your newborn before birth.

Immunization carries on into adulthood as well, this is something a lot of parents forget. As your child grows, throughout certain stages of their life they will need a continuance of vaccinations to prevent tetanus, whooping cough, and diphtheria. This vaccine is most commonly known as a “Tdap” that most children receive at the age of 12 and again at the age of 18. The fear of these outbreaks worsening over the years is a valid one and the risk of outbreak grows with every child that isn’t vaccinated. Not only can it harm your child but it can harm everyone else that your child comes in contact with.

The fight to keep children vaccinated becomes harder every day, there are more and more people not knowing the full benefits of their child having immunization, which can bring even more deadly diseases such as Whooping Cough, Measles, Tetanus, Influenza, Hepatitis A/B, Polio, and much more. The majority of these diseases have almost been forgotten about thanks to vaccinations, but they’re making a comeback as more parents choose not to vaccinate their children.

Fight for Immunization

The United States has been battling the anti-vaccination epidemic for years and the best strategy is to let the statistics speak for themselves and continue to educate parents on the importance of immunization for their child. Many parents are issued immunization records to help keep up with vaccinations that their child might need in the future. With many vaccines, there are side effects to watch out for but these side effects are much more controlled than the possibility of obtaining a disease such as Measles, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, or the Flu. Deaths can occur from any one of these diseases, so be safe and preventive by speaking to a doctor about the possible vaccinations your child can receive to ensure a healthy future.

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Source:

https://www.cdc.gov/