For parents, there are few topics more controversial than vaccines.
Why or why not?
Once hailed as lifesavers, vaccines have taken a beating in recent years.
From mercury concerns to autism myths, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction.
In 1900one in ten babiesdid not make it to their first birthday because of communicable disease.
Because of vaccines,smallpox was completely eradicated worldwide.
In 1994, Americans were no longerat risk for poliovirusbecause of the vaccine.
The only problem with vaccines being so effective is that we now take them for granted.
That means that when an unvaccinated person travels or comes to the U.S., those old diseases could resurface.
There is no evidence to support that, but the vaccine rumor mills are strong.
However, research has shown thatnot all vaccines last a lifetime.
In 2006CBSreported on a mumps outbreakacross college campuses.
Most of the infected students had received the recommended two shots as kids, but they were still susceptible.
Nearly 6,600 students came down with mumps, and 84 percent of them were fully immunized.
Researchers believed that the outbreak started with students from other countries who were not immunized as children.
Check with your doctor to see to it you’re up to date and protected.
You’re helping ensure that outbreaks in schools and communities don’t happen.
you could obtain vaccines at your primary doctor’s office, public health department, or even local pharmacy.
Often insurance will cover preventive care like annual exams and vaccines.
They don’t cause autism
I have some tough love for you.
Jenny McCarthy is a celebrity, not a doctor.
While celebrities have a platform to share their opinions about vaccines, those are only opinions, not facts.
I know we all know this, but it bears repeating.
I am not about to put the health and safety of my child in Jenny’s hands.
We have scoured the research, and there is simply no credible link between vaccines and autism.
So where did this all start?
On November 12, 2000,CBSran a reportabout a possible link.
They were also unable to find a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD.
If you have any concerns, always talk with your doctor.
Should we find out the gender?
Will I return to work?
Where did I put my keys?
Some slight swelling or a bruise is also possible and should onlylast a few days.
According to theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians, giving Tylenol after the shots could help with these side effects.
If enough people decline to vaccinate, diseases that were once eradicated will come back.
The children who contracted measles were infected at school.
Vaccines prevent diseases that could kill us or our children.
We take them for granted now, but our world would look very different without them.
These numbers look very different worldwide, where many children don’t have access to this vaccine.
Every year 344,000 cases of measles are reported, and 145,000 people die from the disease.
There are over 2 million cases of Hepatitis B worldwide every year, and half of those people die.
In the U.S., there are about 100,000 cases resulting in 5,000 deaths every year.
Americans don’t typically worry about polio anymore, because so many of us are vaccinated.
However, if your unvaccinated child was ever exposed to and contracted polio, the consequences could be dire.
Polioattacks the central nervous systemand looks like the flu.
It can then progress to meningitis or even paralysis.
It’s these antibodies that protect us when we are exposed to these diseases throughout our lives.
In addition to the viruses themselves, vaccines contain preservatives to keep them from becoming contaminated.
Thimerosal is apreservative that contains ethyl mercuryand is used in vials of vaccines to prevent contamination.
It is used to preserve multi-use vials of vaccine.
Thimerosal is actually now being eliminated from children’s vaccines.
However, they still recommend removing it from all childhood vaccines as a precaution.
Adjuvants make it possible for us to needsmaller doses and fewer vaccinesthroughout our lives.
One adjuvant in particular that anti-vaccine advocates are concerned about is aluminum.
However, the tiny amount in vaccines has undergone countless tests and studies and is proven to be safe.
Another scary-sounding vaccine ingredient is formaldehyde.
With any vaccine ingredient, confirm you look at the amount.
A priority for physicians and scientists is developing a safe and affordable vaccine to prevent AIDS.
A vaccine for HIV and AIDS is being tested right now.
This vaccine trial,called HVTN 072, is being tested in South Africa.
Researchers are also working on creating vaccines for chronic conditions likecancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
Many new vaccines are now possible because of the creation ofDNA vaccines.
These vaccines are able to target the specific germs and pathogens by injecting actual DNA into the body.
We now have an Ebola vaccine
Speaking of new vaccines, science had a big win recently.
The new Ebola vaccine has been shown to be100 percent effective at protecting against the disease.
“But we still need to continue working on Ebola vaccines.”
For example, let’s look at a common vaccine.
Always talk with your doctor if you have concerns.
Then report it to theVaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
Anyone can log onto this site and see the current research on vaccine reactions.
