7 reasons why immunization is still the best defense for your kids

Most of the individuals who were born in the last 70 years have no idea whether some killer diseases such as diphtheria ever existed. Diphtheria, a severe bacterial infection affects the mucous membranes. The bacteria produce a sheet of thick grey matter that blocks the airways making breathing almost impossible. The bacteria also produce toxins that affect other organs in the body.

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In the early 1920s, before the development of a vaccine, diphtheria had taken away the lives of more than 15,000 Americans. Thanks to vaccination campaigns, diphtheria is now rare in the U.S with only two cases reported between 2004 and 2014. However, diphtheria and other life-threatening diseases are still prevalent in most of the poor countries.

Reports by the W.H.O indicate that vaccines prevent the death of about three million people each year. The World Health Organization (W.H.O) also reports that an extra 1.5 million deaths could be prevented if more vaccines were given. But how do vaccines work and why is it still important to immunize your children at this era?

How does immunization work?

Do you know that most that of the things you interact with every day are teeming with disease-causing germs? A recent study revealed the high level of bacteria contamination of high school students’ mobile gadgets. The study found more than 17,000 bacterial strains on the cell phones of college students. Thanks to our immune system, we don’t have to worry about getting sick while using our phones.

The immune system work by attacking the disease-causing germs before they get you sick. Any time your immune system fights off a particular infection, you develop immunity against it. Vaccines work by mimicking an infection, to teach your immune system how to fight it when it comes knocking. Medical Center Brightside Clinic Byron encourages parents to take their children for immunization for the following reasons:

1. Vaccination boosts your kids' natural defense system

Babies are born when certain parts of their immune system have not yet developed. They rely on antibodies from the breast milk for the first six months to protect themselves from infections. However, there are dozens of infections that the baby needs to build immunity against. Immunization presents the best opportunity for a child to develop immunity against these infections.

2. Provides herd immunity

Herd immunity also known as community immunity refers to the protection given to everyone in the community due to high vaccination rates. When the whole community is vaccinated against a particular disease, it’s difficult for the disease to harm that community. Vaccinating most of the people in a community offer protection even to those that have not been immunized. It, therefore, reduces the likelihood of outbreaks when the community is exposed to the disease.

When herd immunity is low, disease outbreaks can easily occur. For instance, the vaccination rate for polio is about 80-86 percent. If the vaccination rate drops beyond this level, the herd immunity may not be sufficient to prevent disease outbreak.

3. Immunization is safe and effective

Vaccines go through a rigorous development process and regulation before they are made available to the public. The process of developing a vaccine involves extensive scientific research and numerous clinical trials involving volunteers who are immunized under investigation. The process doesn’t stop upon licensing because vaccine safety data is continuously collected and analyzed by researchers.

In the U.S, vaccines are closely monitored and regulated by various federal agencies. Vaccines originating from the U.S have been ranked the safest and most effective by different players in the medical arena. Vaccines rarely have side effects unless for the typical local reactions such as soreness and redness at the site of vaccination.

4. Immunizations can save the life of your kids and others around you

In recent years, killer diseases such as whooping cough and measles have been making a comeback in the country. Unfortunately, close to half a million people in the U.S are infants who are too young to be immunized. These little souls depend on the rest of the population for protection. Therefore, choosing to immunize your kids does not only protect them but also prevent the spread of the pathogens to those who have no protection.

5. Vaccination will save your time and money

Vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio can be expensive to treat. In severe cases, these diseases can cause disability and even death. When you think about, getting a vaccine to prevent them makes more sense than waiting to get sick. Would you rather spend a few minutes in a doctor’s room for immunization or risk spending months on a hospital bed to fight a disease that could have been prevented by vaccination?

6. You can travel with your kids around the world without fear

Although there few cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S, these diseases are still prevalent in other countries across the world. Therefore, vaccinating your kids will ensure that you have the piece of mind whenever you travel around the world.

Examples of vaccines that children and adults receive when traveling out of the country include, yellow fever vaccine, typhoid vaccine, rabies vaccine, amongst others. Center for disease control (CDC) provides travelers with valuable information about the vaccines they can get when traveling out of the country. 

7. Vaccination will help to save the future generation

If scientists did not develop polio vaccines when the disease was spreading across the world, most of the people would either be crippled or dead. But vaccination against these diseases helped to save our generation. We can do the same to our kids so that the future generations will be safe and disease free.

If you teach your children the value of immunization while they are still young, they will most likely follow suit and teach their children when they become adults. You probably think that it’s strange to think about the welfare of your grandchildren now. But you need to know what you teach your children now will likely find its way in the future generations.