Vaccines: Understand the Shot
Having a seriously ill child is any parent’s nightmare. Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect children from those preventable diseases.
Immunizations have helped children stay healthy for more than 50 years. But vaccinations are not just for protecting our children or ourselves. They also protect the people around us who may be unable to get the vaccine and protect our children’s children by preventing diseases from making a comeback.
History of Vaccines
As surprising as it may seem, vaccination began hundreds of years ago. One of the first recorded times was in 1796 when Edward Jenner discovered a method to protect people from smallpox. He discovered that if he took material from an infected person’s blister with cowpox (a much less dangerous virus) and injected it into another person’s skin it immunized them against the deadly smallpox infection.
By the 20th century, routinely recommended vaccines were developed. These included vaccines that protect against pertussis (1914), diphtheria (1926) and tetanus (1938). These three vaccines were combined in 1948 and given as the DTP vaccine.
Before the modern era of childhood immunizations, parents would have been surprised at the thought that future generations would be able to protect their children from many of the most serious childhood infectious diseases. There was a time when diphtheria was one of the most feared childhood diseases, claiming more than 10,000 lives a year in the United States during the 1920s. The measles affected nearly a half-million U.S. children every year, and it sometimes caused complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis. In the 1940s and 1950s, polio paralyzed and even killed children by the thousands. Parents were so scared that each summer they would send their children to stay with relatives in the country.
Today, most children in the United States lead much healthier lives and parents live with much less anxiety thanks to immunizations.
How It Works
Your immune system is an amazing work of art. As a germ enters your body the immune system recognizes it as foreign and produces antibodies to fight it.
Vaccines deliver weakened or dead versions of the germ that cause diseases. This causes the immune system to create antibodies to help protect you from getting the disease.
Vaccines Make a Difference
It is difficult for us to understand the consequences of not vaccinating, since most parents today have never seen first-hand these devastating diseases. While these diseases are not common in the U.S., they continue around the world and can come to the U.S. along with travelers.
A generation ago, up to 4 million U.S. children got measles every year. Hundreds died, and thousands were left with permanent brain damage. Thanks to the develop of the MMR vaccine, these infection became a rarity. However, to the CDC, health officials now worry about the growing number of children that are vulnerable when somebody brings measles from another part of the world.
Vancouver has seen the cause of this first hand with a reemergence of whooping cough and measles outbreaks.
Getting vaccinated is important, but also at the recommended time. This is especially true for infants who are often the most susceptible. Vaccinating infants according to your doctor’s recommendation will provide maximum protection.
Are There Dangers?
While side effects can occur, they are rare and no more common than those from other types of medications, fever reducers and pain relievers. The risk of a serious reaction is much less than the risks from the diseases vaccines protect you from.
However, there are some children who should not get vaccinated, including those with certain diseases or who have decreased ability to fight infection. Also, if your child is allergic to eggs or has had a serious reaction to other shots, you should talk with your child’s doctor before getting other vaccinations.
In the end, talk with your doctor. They are there to provide you with information on the vaccines and to partner with you concerning your child’s health.
Where to Begin?
It is natural to worry about what is best for your children, but studies continue to show the importance and safety of vaccines. In the end, by getting these vaccines you are protecting your little ones from these serious and sometimes deadly illnesses. If you have concerns talk to your doctor. For a list of recommend vaccines and an immunization schedule you can visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules. There you can find the vaccine schedules and much more.
