Many parents go totheir child’s pediatrician office and ask this question, “ Do we need to get ourchild vaccinated?” A lot of parents question the importance of getting theirchildren the vaccinations they need based on a number of reasons. One reason isbecause some people have a lack of understanding for certain vaccines, religiousbeliefs, and a fear that their child may acquire a severe reaction to thevaccine.
Immunizations protects against several dangerous diseases. The importance of Childhood VaccinationsThe intentions behind vaccinations is to build an environmentwhere children will be free of many diseases. According to the Centers forDisease and Control and Prevention (CDC), “ Vaccines interact with the immunesystem and often produce an immune response similar to that produced by thenatural infection.
” Diseases that a preventable by immunizations are at a recordlow. Getting children vaccinated is not only important for your own childrenbut for other children around the world. There are many diseases and viruses thatare only in specific regions. A sick child from another country could easilyspread the virus if they were to come to the United States, although it couldeasily be prevented if the child had their vaccinations. Many children sufferin different countries because of the low supply of vaccines, in which manycases a high number of children die in result of the low supply or the absenceof vaccines all together. What exactly will happen if we do not vaccinate children? Thechance that they may contract any disease/virus and have to suffer the effectsof the disease and may not survive if proper treatment isn’t provided or ifsymptoms aren’t treated right away.
Consider this…if a child contacts a vaccine-preventableillness one or both parents will be forced to stay at home to care for their sickchild. In turn, one or both parents would miss days of work and the child wouldalso miss days from school. A sick child also means countless trips to thedoctor and money spent for medications. In an article it states, “ Adding topublic concern about vaccines is the fact that immunization is mandated by manystate and local school entry requirements.
A state enforced law passed inSuffolk, VA states those children who do not show proof of vaccination, willnot be allowed to attend school.” (Walson, K. Feb2006.) In reality, no immunizing biological agent is 100% safe andeffective. It may produce side effects, which is why it’s important to analyzeand assess each vaccine and child very closely.
We are fortunate to havestopped many different epidemics such as: smallpox, measles, and polio. Administeringsmall bits of diseases and foreign substances to children can open doors toenfeeble consequences or even death, every possible attempt must be made toensure that every vaccine and child is safe in the future. If parents havequestions they should consult with a doctor and not their families or friends. Sometimes their advice is based solely off of rumors and stories and it’salways best to seek professional help from a docto