Thursday, December 11, 2008
Measles Outbreak in the U.S
Eight years after it was declared practically dead in the U.S., measles is making a comeback. Read more about it in Fox News
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Experts worry about parents skipping child vaccinations
In Oregon the number of kids skipping immunizations is growing fast..
Immunization Information Systems
Have you heard about Registries?Registries or immunization information systems (IIS), are confidential, computerized information systems contain vaccination histories and provide immediate access to a child's current immunization status to authorized providers. As a centralized, secure site of single record storage they provide an official immunization record for school, day care, and camp entry requirements. These no-cost tools were created in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are available in every state.
Find a Register Profile in your state!
Vaccines and Diseases Prevention
According to one study, the recommended childhood immunization series prevents approximately 10.5 million cases of infectious illness a year and 33,000 deaths in the United States alone.
Vaccines Timeline
Hey, check this link out! it is about the history of vaccines and how they keep your children safe...
If you want to know more about the history of disease eradication due to systematic vaccination programs, check this link out!
If you want to know more about the history of disease eradication due to systematic vaccination programs, check this link out!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Fears, Myths & Misconceptions
If vaccines cause side effects, wouldn’t it be “safer” to just avoid them? Unfortunately, choosing to avoid vaccines is not a risk-free choice - it is a choice to take a different and much more serious risk.
“Vaccines don’t work.”
A dramatic reduction in the incidence of diseases such as measles, mumps, German measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Hib and pertussis occurred within several years of the introduction of vaccines against them. Vaccines not only work, but they work phenomenally well.”
“The majority of people who get diseases have been vaccinated.”
No vaccine is 100% effective. Most childhood vaccines are effective for 85% to 95% of recipients. For reasons related to the individual, some people will not develop immunity.
“Vaccines are not safe.”
Yes.Before vaccinesare licensed they are tested and monitored for mafety. The FDA requires testing to ensure safety. This process can take 10 years or longer. Once a vaccine is in use, the CDC and FDA monitor its adverse events through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Any hint of a problem with a vaccine prompts further investigations by the CDC and FDA.
“Infants are too young to get vaccinated.”
Children are immunized in the first few months of life because several vaccine-preventable diseases infect them when they are very young. Fortunately, young infants are surprisingly good at building immunity to viruses and bacteria. About 95 percent of children given DTaP, Hib, and hepatitis B virus vaccines will be fully protected by two years of age.
“Children get too many shots.”
Infants and young children commonly encounter and manage many challenges to their immune system at the same time. But vaccines are just a small part of what babies encounter every day. The 11 or 12 vaccines that children receive in the first two years of life are just a drop in the ocean when compared to the tens of thousands of environmental challenges that babies successfully manage every day
“Vaccines contain harmful additives.”
Some parents are concerned that thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative contained in the influenza vaccine, causes autism .During the past few years, a series of biological and epidemiological studies have shown this concern to be unfounded, and it has never been demonstrated that mercury at the level contained in vaccines causes neurological problems.
Today, with the exception of some flu vaccines, none of the vaccines used in the U.S. to protect children against 12 infectious diseases contain thimerosal.
“Vaccines don’t work.”
A dramatic reduction in the incidence of diseases such as measles, mumps, German measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Hib and pertussis occurred within several years of the introduction of vaccines against them. Vaccines not only work, but they work phenomenally well.”
“The majority of people who get diseases have been vaccinated.”
No vaccine is 100% effective. Most childhood vaccines are effective for 85% to 95% of recipients. For reasons related to the individual, some people will not develop immunity.
“Vaccines are not safe.”
Yes.Before vaccinesare licensed they are tested and monitored for mafety. The FDA requires testing to ensure safety. This process can take 10 years or longer. Once a vaccine is in use, the CDC and FDA monitor its adverse events through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Any hint of a problem with a vaccine prompts further investigations by the CDC and FDA.
“Infants are too young to get vaccinated.”
Children are immunized in the first few months of life because several vaccine-preventable diseases infect them when they are very young. Fortunately, young infants are surprisingly good at building immunity to viruses and bacteria. About 95 percent of children given DTaP, Hib, and hepatitis B virus vaccines will be fully protected by two years of age.
“Children get too many shots.”
Infants and young children commonly encounter and manage many challenges to their immune system at the same time. But vaccines are just a small part of what babies encounter every day. The 11 or 12 vaccines that children receive in the first two years of life are just a drop in the ocean when compared to the tens of thousands of environmental challenges that babies successfully manage every day
“Vaccines contain harmful additives.”
Some parents are concerned that thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative contained in the influenza vaccine, causes autism .During the past few years, a series of biological and epidemiological studies have shown this concern to be unfounded, and it has never been demonstrated that mercury at the level contained in vaccines causes neurological problems.
Today, with the exception of some flu vaccines, none of the vaccines used in the U.S. to protect children against 12 infectious diseases contain thimerosal.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Vaccination: a Successful Program
A new study found that immunization of children against many infections agents is one of the greatest health achievements of this century. Vaccines have eliminated smallpox infection around the world; have also reduced the occurrences of polio diphtheria, tetanus, measles, and invasive
Haemophilus influenza infections, worldwide. Children immunizations prevent 3 million deaths in children every year globally. Regardless of this achievement, some parents refuse to immunize their children. Parents may have many reasons for refusing immunization. Some parents may object to immunization on religious or philosophical grounds, some may object to what seems to be a painful assault on their child, and others may believe that the benefits of immunization do not justify the risks to their child. Many commonly held beliefs about the risks of immunization are not supported by available data, and they frequently originate from the unsupported claims of organizations that are critical of immunization.
At present, there are no data to conclude that childhood vaccines (and in particular hepatitis B vaccine) pose a serious health risk or justify a change in current immunization practice.
(Pediatric Infect Disease J. 2005 Nov; 24(11):953-61
Retrieved from http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/115/5/1428
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