We’re so grateful to April, of Blue Hydrangeas, for partnering with us to share her family’s story! Read her full blog post here.
WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP UP WITH YOUR KIDS VACCINATIONS
I first became a mom 14 years ago and at that time I made a decision that I would vaccinate my children. This is something we’ve always done and will continue to do. I learned from my medical training that vaccines are safe and effective and can help everyone, not just your own children. With all the news about the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year it could be easy to forget that visit to your pediatrician so you can have your kids vaccinated. Studies have shown that fewer Michigan children are currently up-to-date in the routine vaccines because of the pandemic, but it is important to remember to try to prevent not only COVID-19 but other diseases such as measles, pertussis and mumps. I can tell you that our pediatrician has procedures in place to make sure that parents and their children can come to the office safely. You should check with your pediatrician to see if they also have similar procedures in place and if they do you should bring your child in for their well-child check and make sure they are up-to-date on their vaccines.
VACCINES PREVENT SO MANY DIFFERENT DISEASES
I will tell you that I think modern medicine is simply amazing! Did you know the routine child immunization among children over the past 25 years is estimated to prevent over 419 million illnesses, 8 million hospitalizations, and almost a million early deaths over the course of our children’s lifetime. Before vaccines parents in the United States could expect that every year colon
- Polio would paralyze 10,000 children (and I have seen people like this myself).
- Pertussis (whooping cough) would kill 8,000 infants.
- Measles would infect about 4 million children, killing about 500.
- Rubella (German measles) would cause birth defects and intellectual disabilities in as many as 20,000 newborns.
- Diphtheria would be one of the most common causes of death in school-aged children.
- A bacterium called Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) would cause meningitis in 15,000 children, leaving many with permanent brain damage.
It can be easy to think that because we haven’t seen these diseases in so many years that they don’t exist, but without vaccination each of these diseases can come back in a tragic way. An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure!
WHEN IT COMES TO COVID-19 I WILL HAVE MY CHILDREN VACCINATED TOO!
Both my husband and myself have been vaccinated for COVID-19. It’s the least we could do to help this terrible scourge on our society. However that doesn’t mean I go to parties and stop wearing my mask, actually it’s quite the contrary. Both adults and children have become very sick from this new virus, so I will continue to do everything I can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While most people will be just fine, there is no way to tell who will be severely affected by it. The Covid vaccine is not available for children yet but that is about to change very soon for the older kids and hopefully by the end of the year for the younger kids. And I will be first in line to have my children vaccinated! I want them to be able to go back to school in a safe manner, so I can be less concerned that they will become severely ill from COVID.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THE CDC-RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE?
What comes to my kids I have always followed the CDC recommended vaccination schedule. I want my children to be protected from diseases early in life, as this is when they are most at risk for becoming seriously ill from preventable diseases. If you get behind on vaccines, you can catch up but it becomes much harder to make sure your children are fully protected. The schedule is recommended by the CDC and is also approved by every major medical organization in the country such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. These organizations have children’s best interest in mind and I can trust wholeheartedly their recommendations.
IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT VACCINES
Every new parent wants to do best for their children. It’s normal to ask questions as this is what makes you a good parent! However there’s lots of misinformation out there, and you want to make sure the resources that you are relying upon are credible. Talk to your child’s pediatrician and explore resources such as iVaccinate.org. This is a resource that contains information and tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids. You can get answers to your question to ultimately do what you can to protect your children and our communities at large.
I hope you were found today’s post informative and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions!