About six and a half years ago I took my six-month-old to the doctors for his shots. I was not really worried about what would happen. This is routine stuff I said to myself. However, after my son got his shots I started to wonder if all his pain and crying was worth it. I should have known better. I'm a medical microbiologist who teaches future physicians the importance of these vaccines. However, when your child is hurting, rational well-informed thoughts are sometimes forgotten.
Are vaccines really worth all the pain our children go through? YES THEY ARE!!! I was looking through the Centers for Disease Control's web site and got some recent evidence that vaccines are worthwhile.
The Hib vaccine has reduced the number of meningitis infections by 97-99% in children (6 months to 2 years old). The Hib vaccine is used to prevent meningitis (an infection of the membranes that surround the brain) caused by bacteria called Haemophilus influenzae. Before the Hib vaccine was routinely used, 12,000 children from six months to two years of age would get this type of meningitis in the United States every year. Many died and many more still suffer from mental retardation, seizures, and deafness. In fact, children from six months to two years of age are no longer the most likely to get meningitis. Now 25-year-olds are the most likely to get bacterial meningitis.
Remember: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! The following links take you to the Centers for Disease Control.
What would happen if we stopped vaccinations? A wonderful article from the Centers for Disease Control that talks about some of the vaccines used and how much they save us in terms of human suffering and disease.
Bacterial Meningitis — An article from the Centers for Disease Control that describes meningitis.
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
Go To Page: 1
