Vaccines: Part 1

Childhood vaccines prevent our children from getting 10 different diseases. As a result of these vaccines, we are living longer and healthier lives. Data from the Centers for Disease (CDC) Control demonstrates this point very dramatically. Vaccines have been proven over and over again to save people's lives. In many countries they are a routine part of life. The following is a portion of the data from the CDC article.
 

Disease	Average number of cases before the vaccine (U.S.A.)	Number of cases of the disease in 1998	Percent decrease
Diphtheria	175,885 (1 in 10 people died)	1	100
Pertussis (Whooping cough)	147,271	6,279	95.7
Poliomyelitis (Polio: paralytic)	16,316	0	100
Tetanus (Lockjaw)	1,314	34	97.4

A few weeks ago I mentioned the new Centers for Disease Control guidelines for childhood vaccination. While looking at those guidelines it occurred to me that many people have questions about vaccines. People wonder why we have to vaccinate children? How do vaccines work? Why do we vaccinate children when they are vaccinated? What are those diseases we protect our children from? Can we quit vaccinating our children someday?

These are all valid questions. We should all know what we are putting into our children's bodies. Therefore over the next few weeks I will hope to answer these questions.  If you have any questions or comments start a discussion.

If you can't wait here are a few websites that may help you in your thirst for vaccine knowledge:
CDC's Impact of Vaccines Universally Recommended for Children
Vaccine Safety articles (CDC)
Dr. Stuart's Lecture on vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration's: Why do we need vaccines webpage
The Vaccine Page
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' Fact Sheets on Adult Immunizations

Take Care and Think Microbiologically!

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