Immunization is a topic that often comes up for discussion at my place of work, a childcare center serving infants 6 weeks through Kindergarten. In the state of New Jersey there are many required vaccinations for children before they enter a childcare setting or public school. The state of New Jersey in 2008 became the first state to require flu shots for any child enrolled in daycare or preschool starting at the age of 6 months through 5 years of age. Every child each year must receive their flu shot by December 31 or risk not being able to attend.
We have several parents each year that refuse to have their child immunized at all because they fear the safety of the shots. In New Jersey you are allowed to claim religious exemption for immunizations. What need to be supplied as proof may vary greatly from center to center, some accepting a note from the parents others requesting official letterhead and signature from your place of worship.
The linking of immunizations and the rise in children with autism has impacted many parents’ opinions of their safety. New Jersey has the highest autism rate in the country. A 2007 report by the CDC stated that our reporting rates may just be more accurate, therefore higher, because the state has such an aggressive program to find these children early and provide early intervention services. I have a nephew with autism and have seen the success of early intervention.
On a personal note, my oldest daughter had a severe reaction to DTaP immunization as an infant. She ran a fever of 105 degrees and I have never heard a cry, like the one coming from her, before or since that very scary night. She continued to receive the rest of her immunizations, as did my other children, adjusting her DTaP shot to avoid a reaction. I believe the risk of disease and their complications outweighs the risk of the immunizations. I believe many parents now think these diseases have been wiped out and there is no longer a need for immunizations. They only need to look at countries such as Somalia where routine immunization is not the norm to see the tragic results of not having access to something we in the United States take for granted.
The World Health Organization reported that, as of July, there were 1019 suspected cases of measles and 31 related deaths so far for 2011 in Somalia. The children there are highly susceptible to complications from measles due to poor nutrition and lack of clean drinking water. Most of the children who die or suffer the most severe complications are 5 years of age and under. There is an ongoing effort to bring the vaccine to this region and immunize more children. The stability of the region greatly affects access.
References
Injury Board National News Desk. (2009, January 5). Flu vaccine mandatory for New Jersey children. Retrieved from http://news.injuryboard.com/flu-vaccine-mandatory-for-new-jersey-children.aspx?googleid=254536
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, (2007, February 8). CDC releases study of autism rates nationwide, including New Jersey. Retrieved fromhttp://www.umdnj.edu/about/news_events/releases/07/r020807_CDCReleases_StudyofAutismRates.htm
World Health Organization. (2011, August 19). Suspected measles cases rising steeply in south central Somalia. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hac/crises/som/en/index.html
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ReplyDeleteI personally think a required flu shot is a good thing because we have so many children out each year sick with the flu and related complications. Parents pump them full of meds, send them to school and they infect the next child and the winter flu cycle begins. It brings so many dangers having a sick child in the building, waiting all day sometimes till closing for the parents to pick up the child. It's not fair to the child, the other children or the people that work with the children. It's one small step.
ReplyDeleteMichele,
ReplyDeleteThe topic of immunizations is so important to have. You are right when people in the states take for granted the ability to get their children immunizated. Its for the health of their own children and for the rest of their family. In Milwaukee there was a measles outbreak and people are scrambling to make sure that they are covered from childhood. I double checked with my doctor and they told me not to worry about getting measles because I was properly immunized as a young child. So, there it goes to show that when an outbreak occurs we do get worried and then want the required shots. But, what if it was to late and the disease was dormaint in one's body? We should give Somalia all of our injections that we waste, so that children there will have a chance to grow up healthy and to live a long life as an adult.
Christine
In my area it seems that the amount of parents that are not vaccinating there children is becoming more prominent. We have a family of three children that do not receive vaccinations because of the Autism scare. I feel there are far more benefits to immunizations than there are reasons to not get them.
ReplyDeleteIt truely amazes me how crazy some people are when it comes to the health and saftey of their children. There is so much proof that children need to have these shots in order to stay in control of dieases. The center for diease control sends out report that say vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)(CDC 2009).
ReplyDelete