Now that school has started we need to be reminded of how important it is to make sure our children's vaccinations are up to date. There is a heated debate in the US regarding whether or not kids should be vaccinated. It is my firm belief along with several prominent health care professionals, that every child must be vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of disease. This year it is especially important to get your child vaccinated because according to the Centers for Disease Control, 2013 is supposed to be the worst year for measles in the United States since 1996. Dr. Hayley Gans, an infectious-disease specialist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine shared her tips for parents on vaccinations and why she thinks there is a rise in measles. What do you think is the main cause of the uptick in U.S. measles cases this year?
Dr. Gans: There are multiple reasons for the surge. Increasingly, there are whole communities who have not been vaccinated for measles, and the reasons vary from religious to philosophical.
Second, travelers to this country who have not been immunized and are sick with measles can introduce the disease into U.S. populations that do not have immunity from measles. In addition, unimmunized or partially immunized residents who travel to areas where measles is circulating may become ill and bring the disease back to this country.
When should a parent get their child vaccinated?
Dr. Gans: The current recommendation is for a child to receive his or her first measles vaccine between 12 to 15 months of age, and then the second dose between the ages of 4 and 6 years. But the second dose can be given as early as one month after the first dose.
If a parent is planning to travel with their children, any child that is older than 6 months should receive the vaccine, and any child who has received one dose should receive a second dose. In order for the vaccine to be protective, it should be administered at least two weeks prior to travel. In addition, parents should not assume that a foreign country is free of measles. Many nations, including some European countries, are having recurrences of the disease after being free of measles for years.
How long does the vaccine last? Is it possible to get measles twice?
Dr. Gans: As far as we can tell, the measles vaccine provides lifelong protection – there should not be a need for a booster later in life. Two doses of the measles vaccine should be enough.
As for contracting measles a second time, when a person has natural measles once, he or she is immune to a recurrence.
What are the side effects of the measles vaccine, if any? Are there any inherent dangers to the vaccine?
Dr. Gans: There has been no link between the measles vaccine and a major disease. The most common side effects are related to the site of immunization, which include redness and swelling. Between 5 and 15 percent of people may develop a fever and slight rash, which is not contagious.
What are your predictions for the spread of measles in the Bay Area and in the United States?
Dr. Gans: It is difficult to predict how measles will behave both locally and nationally because of all the cases of measles imported by travelers. But what we do know is that measles cases will spread in areas where immunity is low. In the Bay Area and in the rest of the U.S., we definitely have populations where the rate of measles immunization is lower than is required to stop transmission, and those areas will be more susceptible to measles. Measles is highly contagious and requires greater than 95 percent of the population to be immune to disrupt transmission.
The good news is that most people in the U.S. are immune to measles because they have been vaccinated. The areas of higher immunity will prevent measles from traveling too widely, in addition to preventing the virus from becoming endemic in the U.S. again. While measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, it is now re-emerging because of low immunization rates in some populations and travelers.
Click to learn more about the Infectious Disease Clinic at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
If you are concerned that your child may be susceptible to catching the measles check with his pediatrician right away to make sure his vaccinations are up to date.
Cascia Talbert is a busy blogger, publisher, freelance writer, online merchant and mother of five children, living in The Pacific Northwest. With a B.A. in history and law and a passion for writing and staying healthy, she started The Healthy Moms Magazine in 2007. The Healthy Moms Magazine is currently ranked the top health blog for moms and features several health expert writers and mom bloggers. Ms. Talbert believes that if mothers are well educated on health issues and how to stay healthy, they can pass that information down to their children and reverse the childhood obesity statistics in the U.S.Ms. Talbert is a featured health blogger at Wellsphere.com and her articles can also be found on ezinearticles.com. She also runs the Healthy Moms Social Network on Ning, is the Chief Marketing Officer for Talbert Nutrition LLC, and is on the Social Media Advisory Board for America's Wellness Challenge. Follow her on Google+.
If you liked this article you might enjoy these stories.
0 Response to "Why it is Crucial for Every Child in the US to Get Vaccinated"
Post a Comment