The Importance of Childhood Immunizations

Contributed by: Heather Hughes-Pace, Pharm.D. Candidate

UMKC School of Pharmacy

Text Box: Many parents wonder why their child needs a measles, polio, or chicken pox vaccination. After all they’ve never seen any one with measles, polio is a disease of the past and once they’ve had the chicken pox, they never get it again. Couple this with media reports and websites claiming dangers of childhood vaccinations and many parents are left confused and wondering about the importance of their child’s vaccinations. There are 12 potentially serious diseases that vaccines protect against: Measles, Mumps, Rubella (German Measles), Diptheria, Tetanus (Lock Jaw), Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Polio, Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib disease), Hepatitis B, Varicella (Chicken Pox), Hepatitis A, and Pneumococcal disease. Most vaccines are given at an early age because the diseases they prevent can strike at an early age. Some diseases are far more serious or common among infants and young children. Any of the diseases could kill a child, but it is easy to forget how serious they are thanks to vaccines. You may be thinking we have successfully fought these diseases and there is no longer a need for the vaccines, but this is not true. Many of these diseases still exist and can still infect anyone that has not been vaccinated. When vaccination rates fall epidemics can occur because disease causing viruses and bacteria still exist in nature. In Great Britain a pertussis epidemic occurred with 100,000 cases and 36 deaths following a decline in immunizations. How do vaccines work? Will my child get sick from the vaccine? Vaccines contain killed or weakened versions of the virus or bacteria that causes a disease. By introducing the virus/bacteria your body will mount a defense by forming antibodies. The vaccine contains a tiny amount of the germ. The antibodies formed during the attack are able to fight off the tiny amount of virus/bacteria. Once antibodies are formed they become part of the body’s memory. If the body is ever exposed again to the natural virus or bacte

Text Box: ria again the antibodies will remember how to fight the disease and successfully kill the virus/bacteria and prevent illness. Why does my child need a chickenpox (Varicella) vaccine, everyone gets chicken pox? Many parents believe that chickenpox is a harmless illness that all children get and never have to worry about again, but chicken pox is not a harmless illness. In 1999, an average of 1 child a week died from complications of chicken pox. Complications include: brain infections (encephalitis), flesh eating strep infection, toxic shock syndrome, hepatitis, and pneumonia. The Varicella vaccine helps prevent the illness and its complications as well as control an unpredictable highly contagious school or daycare chicken pox outbreak. If my child is sick can they get a vaccine? Sometimes a child should wait before getting a vaccination. It is important to check with your physician if your child has more than just the common cold or earache before receiving a vaccine. Consult your physician if your child has ever had seizures or any nervous system problem or if your child does not seem to be developing normally. Some children should not receive vaccines if they have a severe life-threatening allergy or have ever had a severe reaction following a vaccine, have a weakened immune system because of HIV, cancer, or steroids, or has recently received a transfusion or blood product. Isn’t there something in the vaccines that is bad for my child? Thimerosol is a preservative that contains a form of mercury that has been used in vaccines for over 50 years. Mercury can be damaging to the nervous system in large amounts. There is no evidence that the tiny amounts contained in the vaccines ever caused problems for any infants. None of the vaccines used in the United States to vaccinate pre-school aged children against the 12 infectious diseases contain thimerosol as a preservative.

Text Box: I’ve heard that vaccines can cause autism and sudden infant death. Is that true? Many of the claims involve disorders that are diagnosed at the same age that many vaccines are given. Studies that have looked specifically at many of these claims, including autism and sudden infant death syndrome, have not found any link between vaccines and the syndromes. The Institute of Medicine reported that "all studies that have compared immunized versus nonimmunized children have found either no association . . . or a decreased risk . . . of SIDS among immunized children" and concluded that "the evidence does not indicate a causal relation between [DTP] vaccine and SIDS." The development of vaccines is highly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The average vaccine is studied and developed for 10 years going though many phases of testing. Companies test not only how well the vaccine works but also how safe the vaccine is. Vaccines must be proven safe long before they ever reach the public. Once a vaccine reaches the public information continues to be collected through the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The VAERS information is available to the public and can be accessed on www.fda.gov/cber/vaers/vaers.htm Childhood vaccination remains the only real defense against many diseases. Without vaccinations, children are at risk for lifelong health problems and premature death. Immunization is recognized as one of the greatest 20th century achievements in the prevention of death and disease in children all over the world. For further information on childhood vaccines visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov.