Dispelling the myths
Among all the new things a new baby and parents will experience, some are more memorable than others. Baby’s first bath and first steps will be sure to make the scrapbook, but baby’s first immunization may not make the list. However unmemorable infant immunizations may be, the purpose they serve remains extraordinarily significant.
“The use of vaccines over time has greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with many devastating diseases,” Dr. Mackey Quinlan with Pierremont Pediatrics at Willis-Knighton, said. “It is important to continue to vaccinate our children with the appropriate vaccines in order to protect them from outbreaks of these illnesses.
“There are vaccines to prevent many different diseases including pertussis [whooping cough] and meningitis – both of which can and have been deadly to young infants and children,” Quinlan continued. “There are also vaccines to prevent against tetanus, measles, chickenpox – most of these we do not see often in the United States thanks to these vaccines – but all pose a serious threat if their presence made a resurgence in the United States.”
While the importance of vaccinating aims in preventing many what-if situations, the dangers of choosing not to have already begun affecting some children.
“In parts of our country where choosing to not vaccinate your children has become more popular, we are already seeing the negative impacts it is making on our society,” Quinlan said. “In the past few years in the United States, children have died from vaccine preventable diseases, and many more have suffered and have had to be hospitalized.”
Quinlan said the necessary vaccines have to come in a series of shots; the body goes through its own process in order to be protected against certain diseases.
“As we vaccinate infants, their immune system begins to recognize and build a response to the different diseases it is being immunized against,” she said. “It takes a series of vaccines to be fully immunized from a particular disease.
“It is important to discuss the vaccines with the parents at each and every wellchild visit,” Quinlan said. “Parents need to be informed of any potential side effects and how to treat them.”
Side effects included pain at the injection site, fussiness and an occasional low-grade fever, though Quinlan said they are usually rare but easily treated.
“These side effects are seen in the first 24 to 48 hours and are usually treated easily with a dose of Tylenol or Motrin,” she said. “Most parents come back and report their infant had little to no side effects to their vaccine series.”
Immunization schedules, much like Quinlan stated, are an important part in insuring all of the vaccines’ benefits for each child.
“The vaccine schedule recommended by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the [American Academy of Pediatrics] begins with the initial hepatitis B vaccine at birth,” she said.
“The first series of vaccines are given at 2, 4 and 6 months old. The next series are at 12 and 15 months old, and the next set not until the child is 4.”
For first time parents, or children who might struggle with the trip to the doctor for their shots, there are simple tips to easing the fears and worries, much of which deals with just understanding where they come from.
“The doctor visit will usually go easier with the toddlers and older children if the parents talk with them and prepare them – some even to the point of having play doctor kits at home – showing them and playing with the items doctors use,” Quinlan said. “Children are scared of what they do not know, what they do not understand and what they are not prepared for, so the better we as parents can talk with them ahead of time the easier time they have at the doctor’s office.”
– Katie Ho
The Controversy:
There has been considerable controversy with immunizations in recent years, but many of the opposing arguments have either been proven false or recanted. Unfortunately, there have been many myths and misunderstandings of vaccines leading to large movements across the United States,” Quinlan said. “They rarely hold any legitimate claim. The claim that vaccines cause autism has been rebuked even by the authors who wrote the initial flawed paper. There are often many questions about ‘alternate vaccine schedules,’ and even though I believe getting some vaccines is better than none – the vaccines have not been studied at alternate schedules, and there is no proof that your child will be protected from the diseases if the vaccines are given at different times. It is important to talk through the parents about all of the above and come up with a plan that the parents are comfortable with that follows as closely to the recommendations as possible.”
