Childhood Vaccinations Demystified

According to the CDC,” Vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. Even though most infants and toddlers have received all recommended vaccines by age 2, many under-immunized children remain, leaving the potential for outbreaks of disease.”

Before the modern age of the vaccine, millions of children died every year from preventable diseases. Today, medical progress has enabled us to formulate solutions that protect us from the most deadly of diseases. It is amazing that in a short drive to your doctor’s office you can protect yourself and your family from the flu, measles, mumps, polio, chicken pox, and hepatitis just to name a few. Clearly, the importance of these “modern-day healers” are crucial to the area of preventative medicine and keeping your child healthy and safe.

Much of the fear surrounding immunization comes from a lack of knowledge about what vaccines are and what they really do. Simply put, a vaccination usually just gives the patient a small portion of the actual disease. Next, the patient’s immune system begins to create and accumulate cells that fight off and kill the disease. The body is tricked into thinking it actually has the disease. Then, in the event that the individual comes in contact with the disease, they would have already developed specialized cells that would be able to fight off and kill the disease.

While our group holds the opinion that child immunization is ultimately beneficial to the individual and society at large, we will not withhold the views of the opponents of child vaccinations. We encourage you to read our blog and come to your own conclusion about what is best for you and your child. Thanks.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/default.htm

Picture: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-564848/Parents-warned-vaccinate-children-diphtheria-death-14-years.html

Immunizing Kids, What for?

Childhood vaccination used to be routine for every child born in the United States before the age of 18 months until some parents, scientists and physicians began to link childhood vaccinations with the dreaded condition of autism. The controversy of childhood vaccinations have reached critical proportions due to increase in autism cases linked to vaccination. This blog is meant to be informative to both nurses and consumers alike. Discussing this issue may clarify some concerns among opponents and proponents of this topic. Childhood vaccinations generally include the following:

Diphtheria,
Haemophilus Influenza Type B (Hib),
Hepatitis A,
Hepatitis B,
Measles,
Meningococcal,
Mumps,
Pertussis (Whooping cough),
Pneumococcal disease,
Polio, rotavirus (severe diarrhea),
Rubella (German measles),
Tetanus (Lockjaw), and
Varicella (Chicken pox)

The above diseases pose serious threat to children, and if contracted, can lead to severe complications and even death. Vaccines do not only help to keep children healthy, but they also help to stamp out these serious childhood diseases. Some parents, scientists, and physicians who oppose vaccinating children do not underestimate the importance of vaccinations. However, they vehemently object to the cocktail of ingredients found in some vaccines and assert that such ingredients are causing neurological disorders like autism in infants.
Autism is a brain developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication; sufferers are prone to repetitive behavior, and their responses to sensory stimuli, speech, language, and cognitive capacities are all impaired. Children who suffer from autism have difficulty relating to people, objects, and events.

The Pro-Vaccine Voice

Most people in the healthcare profession would agree that childhood vaccines are a good thing and should be given to as many school aged children as possible. Vaccines decrease the risk of individual’s contracting the disease as well as preventing a spread of the disease. The “herd effect” is a major concern with in schools and among children in general. Whenever people say, “The flu is going around,” or “Well, little Timmy got sick last week it’s only a matter of time before the whole school is sick.” These are great examples of the “herd effect”; when people remain in close proximity to others the likelihood of contracting a disease increase dramatically. Now just imagine small children who have no understanding of germs or how diseases are spread being cooped up in a small class room for hours, and then going outside to play on the monkey bars that a thousand other kids have touched. It seems almost absurd that parents would not want to take every precaution when it comes to keeping their children healthy. However, there is a major debate between parents and healthcare providers: do the risks outweigh the benefits? And even if the vaccines are determined to be the best course of action, does the government and school systems need to dictate how children are vaccinated?

Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism

One major debate between parents and healthcare professionals is whether the risks of childhood vaccines outweigh the benefits. The idea of a vaccine is that a small amount of the virus is actually injected into the patient. This is so the immune system can be exposed to a small amount of the disease therefore if the disease is actually contracted the body will respond faster and already have immunity to the pathogen. The patient can become sick as a result of the injection, which parents consider a major risk. Why give an injection that will make their kid sick while trying to prevent them from getting sick? There are a lot of misconceptions about vaccines including that the MMR vaccine will cause autism. The idea that the MMR vaccine causes autism in children came out several years ago and as a result parents are terrified to have their children vaccinated. Studies have been done since this time disproving the link between autism and MMR. Parents are adamant that their children should not be exposed to a possible infection or unrelated diseases in order to prevent from fatal diseases.




The Governement Requires Childhood Vaccinations to Prevent Outbreaks

The school system and the government are another factor that prevents parents from vaccinating their children. The school system has a plausible reason for vaccinations, which is to prevent other children from catching a disease due to the “herd effect”. The government would love to eradicate as many diseases from the world as possible, and one method is to have small children vaccinated in schools. Many people, parents included, feel that the government has no business deciding if and when children are vaccinated. Remember the HPV vaccine not too long ago, just suggesting that young girls get vaccinated for the future caused a huge uproar. It is easy to understand both points of view when it comes to this topic. Parents do not want to be told how to raise their children; they do not want to be told to put their children at risk. The government wants to protect the population starting with the children.




1. The benefits of immunization: a public health approach. (2008). British Journal of School Nursing, 3(5), 234-238. Retrieved from EPSCO database.

2. Austin, H., Campion-Smith, C., Thomas, S., Ward, W. (2008). Parents’ difficulties with decisions about childhood immunization. Community Practitioner, 81(10), 32-35. Retrevied from EBSCO database.

The Anti-Vaccine Voice

No one speaks of the adverse effects of vaccination more effectively than Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana. He said, “There is no doubt in my mind that the mercury in vaccines is a major contributing factor to a growing number of neurogical disorders among children, but in particular autism.” Dan Burton’s grandson became autistic after receiving nine vaccines in one day. Groups, who oppose vaccinations, do so because of the chemicals used in producing the vaccines. They argue that these cocktails of potent viruses and serious carcinogenic compounds are too severe for the developing brains in infants. Here are some of the chemicals used in compounding vaccines:

• Formaldehyde (used in embalming)
• Thimerosal (nearly 50 percent mercury)
• Aluminum phosphate (corrosive to skin and tissue and neurotoxic)
• Methanol (toxic)
• Isopropyl (toxic)
• 2-pheoxythanol (toxic)
• Live viruses and a host of other unknown components are included in this mixture, but are not disclosed by the pharmaceutical companies because they are classified as trade secrets.

Phew! Thimerosal tops the list of the powerful chemical compounds that draw the most fire from vaccine opponents. Thimerosal is approximately 50 percent of mercury (methyl mercury), a known neurotoxin, which is used to preserve vaccines. Thimerosal also kills certain organisms in the vaccines, prevents the growth of fungi, and clears a broad spectrum of pathogens in vaccines. There is evidence both in Japan (1960) and Iraq (1970) showing that pregnant mothers exposed to high levels of methyl mercury had infants who exhibited severe neurological injuries like cerebral palsy, autism, motor and sensory neurological dysfunctions, and developmental delays. A recent study, (Geier & Geier) presents a strong epidemiological evidence for a link between neurodevelopment disorders and mercury exposure from Thimerosal. The study finds that vaccinated US infants were exposed to mercury levels far exceeding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for daily oral ingestion of methyl mercury. The following childhood vaccines contain Thimerosal. Diphtheria, acellular Pertussis, tetanus, and influenza.

Your Voice

The topic is occupying much attention and generating a lot of strong positions from both sides because children are caught in the middle and the repercussions of childhood vaccinations on some children can be both devastating and irreversible. Proponents of vaccination tend to argue that there are no connections between vaccination and autism. Rather, they argue that vaccinations are generally good for the public and it is irresponsible to advocate against it. Furthermore, proponents argue that the fear of compounds in vaccines are overblown, and non vaccinations may lead to far more serious consequences like Polio, a viral disease, which attacks the nervous system and cripples children; Tetanus, a bacterial causing disease of the nervous system that can lead to several deaths in children; Meningitis, can lead to loss of limb, permanent neurologic impairment, and often death.

Now that you know both sides of the argument, how will it affect your decision to have your child vaccinated?

Vaccines and You

Why Should Consumers and Nurses Educate Themselves on this Issue?

It is important for nurses to understand the worries and apprehension of parents facing the decision of whether or not to vaccinate their children. If a nurse can sympathize with parents and get to understand their hesitation, teaching will become easier. As, medical personnel, a nurse would immediately suggest all possible vaccines for children to protect not only their patient but also to cut down the “herd effect” in schools and maybe one day eliminate the disease altogether. Nurses need to recognize the concerns and fears of parents when it comes to their children and with this knowledge they can be better prepared to show understanding and provide education for the parents.

Vaccinations prevent illness and suffering from a variety of disease. They have been used successfully for decades to help billions of people all over the world. In short, vaccines save lives. This is because with proper implementation, vaccinations have the potential to even eradicate certain diseases. For example, in 18th century England, smallpox was responsible for 20% of ALL of the deaths in London. Today, thanks to the scientific progress that gave us vaccines, there hasn’t been a single reported case of smallpox since 1949. The last case of smallpox in the world was reported to have occurred in Ethiopia in 1979 and in 1980 scientists declared that smallpox had been successful eradicated from the world.

From a healthcare perspective, the benefits of having your child vaccinated cannot be overlooked. Parents who choose to skip vaccines leave their child vulnerable to various life-threatening diseases. If you have concerns, about the safety of a vaccine, disccuss this with your doctor rather than taking chances with your child’s health.

What Now? How to Protect Your Child through Immunization

Where to Get Your Child Vaccinated


Once you decide to get your child vaccinated, the rest is simple.

First, know what vaccinations your child needs and when it is time to get them. For a copy of the CDC's child vaccination schedule, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm#printable

You can get your child vaccinated at your local clinic or doctor's office.