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Retro illnesses making a comeback?
More parents are sending their kids to school without vaccinating them.
As Jezebel reports, doctors are worried that the growing resistance to vaccinations could lead to a comeback from a variety of illnesses that were virtually non-existent after years of vaccinations.
A study conducted by the Associated Press found that in eight states more than 1 in 20 public school kindergarteners aren’t getting all their shots. Not only that, but half of America is seeing more parents request exemptions. Parents can opt out for medical or religious reasons. Some states even let parents opt out for philosophical concerns, which, let’s face it, means anyone can opt out. As Jezebel reports, in some areas as many as 20 to 50 percent of children aren’t getting the required shots. Continue reading »
Can Barbie save us from whooping cough?
My kids’ closest friends recently came down with whooping cough. They seem fine most of the time, and then they start coughing and hacking. Sometimes they cough so hard they throw up. Tears run out of their eyes. It’s pretty tough to watch, and they expect it to continue for up to six weeks.
None of these kids were vaccinated because their mom doesn’t trust vaccines. She’s part of a growing number of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate their children because they’ve been misled about the science behind vaccination.
The anti-vaccine movement is as old as vaccines themselves. But recently it’s gained momentum through the outspoken activism of celebrity Jenny McCarthy.
Jenny is charismatic, passionate and beautiful. She’s a great spokesperson for her movement. Pro-vaccine advocates are struggling to get their message across as well, with only doctors, scientists, public health officials and school nurses on their team.
What they need is a star to take up the cause. A blonde powerhouse adored by parents and children. What vaccine advocates need is Barbie.
The HPV shot: right for your kid? Probably.
Let’s just go with “yes” on this one.
Need more detail? Here’s one mom’s story of how she decided to bite the bullet and sign her daughter up for the HPV vaccine. She’d initially decided to skip it, given how new the vaccine was and how young her little girl was. Did her 9-year-old really need to be protected from a sexually-transmitted infection? She liked to think not.
Now the vaccine has been around for a few years and her daughter is a few years older. Her thinking on this shot has shifted.
With Michele Bachmann still grabbing headlines over her silly claims about this vaccine, it’s a great time to reiterate why your daughter should have it. Continue reading »
In the p
ast I’ve absolutely jumped right in on any debate about the dangers of vaccinations. I was ready for it with the pediatrician, on my blog, with family, and moms at the playgroup: Bring It On. But over time as the years have gone by and the debate is, surprise surprise, never ending, I’m tired of it. Seriously, it’s not anyone’s business but MINE if I vaccinate my kids or not.
Parents still unsure vaccines are safe.
While American children are being vaccinated in record numbers, a survey published in the June issue of Health Affairs reports that 77% of parents have at least one concern about the safety of vaccines. The most common concern among parents – unsurprisingly – is that their children will feel physical pain as a result of getting shots. But the second and third most common worries about vaccines that parents confessed to in the survey reflect the belief that vaccines may be unsafe for children under age 2. 36 percent of parents surveyed “worried that their children were getting too many vaccines in a single visit, while 34 percent fret they are getting too many shots in the first two years,” ABC News reports.
They go on to say, “Concerns of resultant fevers from the vaccines were mentioned by 32 percent, and the fear that the vaccines could cause learning disabilities like autism remains among 30 percent. Others, 26 percent, have a general worry that the ingredients in the vaccines are unsafe, the survey found.” While only 5% of the 376 households surveyed admitted to skipping some vaccines and a mere 2% said they would not vaccinate at all, there is one state where anti-vaccine sentiment is much higher.
Which state leads the nation in an unwillingness to prevent childhood disease through vaccination? Continue reading »
Not just unvaccinated traveling kids at risk
We’ve heard that measles cases are popping up in the U.S. in unvaccinated children, but the CDC is reporting that the trend is escalating, with double the cases so far this year (January to April) than would be expected from an entire year.
The World Health Organization, which had at one point thought the world would soon be virtually rid of measles, has moved the date of that goal to 2015 (which, from the reports now sounds like an unattainable goal).
Kids in the U.S. who are not vaccinated and travel abroad are the most likely to be infected and spread the virus. The LA Times noted a case in 2008 in which an unvaccinated seven-year-old boy from San Diego travelled with his parents to Switzerland, caught the measles, brought it back and infected his siblings, kids at his school and at his doctor’s office. According to the Times, “The outbreak forced about 70 children to be quarantined at home.” The parents had chosen not to vaccinate him or his siblings.
In California this year, every month more cases of measles are reported than in the previous month.
Public health officials say that kids who travel are at risk, but isn’t that a two way street? Continue reading »
Meningitis vaccine for infants gets FDA seal of approval
It starts with high fever, headache, and stiff neck.
Although relatively uncommon in the United States, meningitis is deadly. Even with proper care, the FDA says up to 15% of people who develop meningitis die from the infection.
The classic symptoms of meningitis may be difficult to detect and can be absent in really small children. Continue reading »
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