Childhood Immunizations

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, Nov. 24, 1997) -- Parents, do your children have all of their shots? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only two-thirds of American children are fully immunized by age 2. With all the resources available, why is immunization of children such a problem?

Click here to learn more about immunizations in our PREVENTION section

One issue is side effects. Periodically, there are published anecdotes of children who have suffered permanent damage from immunizations. However, we must weigh these rare occurrences against the millions of deaths and disabilities which the following immunizations have prevented.

DPT vaccine is designed to protect against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. Ten percent of all diphtheria cases result in death. Pertussis (whooping cough) can be a serious disease and is extremely contagious. Approximately one child in every 200 will die or have permanent brain damage after contracting this disease and 50 percent will require hospitalization. Tetanus (lockjaw) causes muscle spasms serious enough to snap the spine in an unprotected child. Thirty percent of all people who contract tetanus die of the disease.

While the DPT vaccine has dramatically reduced the risk of disease and death in children, many will experience some side effects such as redness and swelling at the injection site, a fever, drowsiness and decreased appetite. Acetaminophen usually relieves these symptoms. A new vaccine, licensed in 1991, has fewer side effects.

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Measles is a serious and very contagious disease which causes high fever, cough and a rash that lasts one to two weeks. Sometimes it causes encephalitis, which may result in hearing loss and mental retardation. A recent nationwide outbreak resulted in 55,000 reported cases, 11,000 hospitalizations and at least 130 deaths. Mumps causes fever, headache and swollen, painful salivary glands. One in every 10 children may develop meningitis. Rubella (German measles) is usually a mild disease characterized by a low-grade fever and mild rash. The exception is that unborn babies, during the first three months of pregnancy, run a 70 percent chance of being miscarried or suffering very serious congenital complications.

Polio, HIB and HBV are also important vaccines. Polio is caused by a virus. It can cause paralysis and even death. There are no drugs or treatments that will cure a case of polio; our only real means of protection is immunization. The HIB vaccine protects children against Hemophilus Influenza Type B. Prior to vaccine development, this was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in young children. The "H Flu" bacteria primarily attacks children under age 5. It may begin with symptoms of a cold but can rapidly develop into meningitis. Death can occur and those who survive may suffer permanent brain damage, including mental retardation. The Hepatitis B vaccine protects against the Hepatitis B virus which causes inflammation of the liver. Symptoms include jaundice, poor appetite, weight loss and dark urine. A chronic infection can follow in one out of 10 people, often leading to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Five percent of Hepatitis B cases require hospitalization and one person in 1,000 will die as a direct consequence of the disease.

Immunizations are a way to stand together as a community for the health of our children. Each time a child is immunized, it not only protects that individual child but reduces the risk that other persons may become infected. The motto "every child by two" articulates the importance of a complete course of immunizations by age 2, and not waiting until the child reaches school age.

(Editor's note: COL Linda Spencer is the IMA to the Director, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine)

For more information on vaccines in general download: Understanding Vaccines. A booklet from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Source: Immunizations important for children and communities, Nov. 24, 1997 - Army News Service