Fewer Vaccinations
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Comment| Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“If it is not going to harm their child not to give the vaccine, then why do it?”
– Dr. Anitha Leonard, M.D., pediatrician, Kids’ Health First
The number of parents choosing not to vaccinate their kids against various childhood diseases is on the rise. It seems the program to vaccinate American kids has been so successful, the program is now beginning to fail, as we’ve seen with recent outbreaks of measles in California, Arizona and Ohio.
Eight-month-old Zoe has had all her shots; 2-year-old Caleb is up-to-date as well, including the MMR shot for measles, mumps and rubella.
“The one concern that I had was with the MMR shot. There’s a lot of media and news going on about how [at] the same time the kids get the MMR shot, they’re showing signs of autism,” says Sarah Byrd, mother.
The culprit in the news has often been Thimerosal, a preservative found in many vaccines. And yet, the National Institute of Medicine reports that science does not support a link between vaccines – or Thimerosal -- and autism. Thimerosal contains mercury, and its use was discontinued seven years ago. Still, some parents have a question for their family doctor.
“If it is not going to harm their child not to give the vaccine, then why do it?” says Dr. Anitha Leonard, M.D., pediatrician, Kids’ Health First.
Especially since, despite recent outbreaks of measles and mumps, most childhood diseases are now rare.
“I myself have never seen a case of measles. I’ve seen a few cases of mumps, and I have never seen rubella. So, when you don’t see these children dying of these diseases, it’s kind of ‘out of sight out of mind,’” says Leonard.
And yet, these germs are still here -- or just a plane ride away -- and still deadly.
“For a child who’s before the age of 1, there are certain bacterial infections that are deadly to these babies that we are currently vaccinating: pneumococcis, for instance; they usually get four vaccinations before they are 1. So, if I got a pneumococcal infection right now, or if a 13- or 14-year-old did, it’s not as detrimental to them, whereas if a 2-month-old got it, pneumococcis causes meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis, which is bacteria in the blood and can cause death,” explains Leonard.
Tips for Parents
- The immune system makes antibodies against a germ, such as the chickenpox virus, whether it encounters it naturally or is exposed to it through a vaccine. (Nemours Foundation)
- According to experts, it is impossible to get the disease from any vaccine made with dead (killed) bacteria or viruses, or made with only a part of the bacteria or virus.
References
- Nemours Foundation
