Why We Vaccinate
[For this week’s photo, imagine a seven year old girl with glasses, opening Christmas presents. That little girl is me, with the chicken pox]
The answer may seem obvious, but why do we vaccinate children against diseases we may never have heard of, much less whose names we can’t pronounce? Parents and guardians who consent to having their children vaccinated do get that information (it is a federal law that families receive vaccine information sheets, otherwise known as VIS’s). However, parents who chose to forgo vaccines for their children are not required to take VIS’s. Why not? Every parent should have adequate information regarding vaccines before making an educated decision. But as seen in the state of Colorado, opposition to that idea made waves in 2014. A house bill proposed that families denying their children vaccines be required to complete an online tutorial and obtain a healthcare provider signature that vaccine education was completed. But the bill was shot down, and only a proposal for a voluntary vaccine education module made it to the governor’s desk.
That gutted version of the bill was passed into law in May of 2014 and the online education module is still “Coming Soon!” But I say, “Why wait?” Any parent on the fence about vaccinating their child should know why kids need the alphabet soup of shots that is now recommended. So below is information on some of those vaccines:
H. flu type B (Haemophilus influenza type B or HiB) ~ As if the differences between the stomach flu and influenza aren’t confusing enough, there is yet another “flu” out there. In this case, HiB is a bacteria spread by close contact and airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing, meaning it’s pretty contagious. Those most susceptible to an infection with HiB are infants and children under the age of five, the age group targeted for vaccination. Why do we vaccinate these little ones against HiB? Because they are the ones at high risk for serious complications including meningitis, hearing loss or even death.
Rubella (aka the “German Measles”) ~ Rubella is probably the least familiar component of the MMR vaccine, which also includes measles and mumps. We vaccinate against this virus because it can have some devastating, lasting effects. Like HiB, it is spread by inhaling airborne droplets from an infected individual who is coughing or sneezing. Rubella is characterized by swollen glands, a rash and achy joints. However, what makes rubella an ominous infection is that half of infected persons exhibit no symptoms at all, meaning efficient and silent spread of the disease. This is particularly dangerous to a woman of child-bearing age who has not been vaccinated with the MMR: should she become pregnant and be exposed to rubella, her unborn child has a 20 percent chance of heart defects, hearing loss and mental deficits. (Note: a woman should be up-to-date with her MMR-two doses of the vaccine-at least 28 days before attempting pregnancy.) So vaccinating our kids against measles, mumps and rubella not only prevents the risk of contracting the childhood versions of these diseases, it also protects our grandchildren against devastating birth defects.
Mumps ~ So the boys aren’t left out, let’s talk about this disease. The “trademark” of mumps infection is swollen salivary glands, which causes the characteristic “chipmunk cheeks” appearance of the patient. These symptoms normally resolve without issue. However, lesser known complications, such as orchitis (inflammation of the testicles in adolescent and adult males) can have serious, lasting effects: 30 to 50 percent of affected males risk low sperm counts and therefore reduced fertility.
Pertussis (whooping cough) ~ Given recent outbreaks of pertussis and the resultant media coverage, most of us have a basic understanding of this infection. But re-emphasizing its complications is warranted given the thousands of confirmed cases in recent years (17,325 through mid-August of 2014, a 30 percent increase from the year before). We vaccinate against pertussis because newborns are not eligible for vaccination until age two months, are most susceptible to infection and hospitalization, and risk death. Even though infants receive three of five doses before age one, they are still at risk for disease because they have not yet achieved full, protective immunity. So older siblings need fully vaccinated to help protect them. (Another note: all adults aged 19 and older need a “booster” vaccination of Tdap, pertussis combined with tetanus and diphtheria.)
While this is a limited discussion targeting a few of the childhood vaccines, the take-home message that can be extrapolated to those not mentioned is this: the infections we vaccinate against are ones that can have lasting, devastating effects if acquired.
Why take a chance?
For more information about childhood vaccines, see last week’s post, Should I Vaccinate My Children?
