As parents, we want to do what's best for our children. We research and ask questions and disinfect anything in our child's reach. Still, is there such a thing as over protectiveness when it comes to illness?The saying "a little dirt, don't hurt," however grammatically incorrect, is true to a degree. Children are stronger than we think. Most kids have a security net around them that protects them from horrible illness such as measles, mumps and whooping cough.
But, what if there were holes in that security blanket?
That is what we see happening now in the US. The increasing parent trend of not vaccinating children is causing huge gaps in what doctors call the "herd immunity" areas. That is to say, an area where the majority of children are vaccinated, creating a protective shield around the rest who are not.
According to Massachusetts pediatrician John Snyder, "For example, the herd immunity threshold for measles is approximately 94%. That means that if less than 94% of a community is vaccinated against measles, outbreaks of the disease can begin to spread easily among susceptible members of the community."In a research study Snyder did he saw that ironically, the pockets of communities that were not vaccinating their children were highly educated and upper classed. They had the power to challenge authority.
Another example of this was in the 2013 flu report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to their survey, 90% of people infected with the flu last year were in children old enough to be vaccinated, but are not. Sixty per cent of these resulted in pediatric death.
The fear of vaccinations started with a study that claimed that autism could be linked with vaccinations. However, according to the CDC, over the last 15 years, a number of medical institutions have reviewed the evidence not only from the US, but abroad as well, and found no link between autism and vaccinating children.
The hype stemmed from the belief that thimerosal (a common component used in most vaccinations) could over load the small nervous systems of babies and cause autism. Although there was no link between autism and thimerosal, it has since been removed from childhood vaccines in the US.
Still, parents are choosing to not vaccinate their children and themselves. Most decide to opt out due to philosophical or religious reasons, but a shocking amount of parents admit that they don't vaccinate their children because they don't want to cause their children pain.Doctors are frustrated and even desperate to get people vaccinated, however. In some states you may not be able to work without a flu shot. CDC released a list of 10,000 vaccines that are safe for babies. Some states are even suggesting making all vaccinations a legal requirement.
What it all comes down it is, "Why fight modern science?"
The Spanish Flu killed 50 -100 million people in 1918 (the first known strain of H1N1) and is still killing in the US today. California is experiencing their worst Whooping Cough epidemic since 1947. Measles and mumps are on the rise world wide.
We live in a world of endless possibilities. Modern medicine is saving lives with new advances in surgery and vaccines and treatments every day. There are places outside the US where the people don't have access to modern medicine and children are dying from the measles, or flu, or whooping cough.Why not take advantage of the fact that we live in a modern society where we have the benefit of modern science and let them save our children's lives?
