Immunizations:
According to Medline Plus (2019), “Immunization shots, or vaccines are essential.” While shots may be painful, they are beneficial because they prevent diseases that can cause health problems and even death. Some of the diseases are measles, polio, pertussis, and tetanus. Immunizations are required for children to attend daycare and public school. However, some states allow parents to choose not to immunize their children due to religious or other reasons. This can be dangerous for those children and for infants who are not yet old enough to receive the immunizations, as well as for those children who are immuno-compromised due to health or medical reasons.
The topic of immunizations is meaningful to me because when my daughter was an infant she contracted a strain of bacterial meningitis that is now preventable. She suffered a complication from the illness and developed hydrocephalus. She was three and a half months old. The situation surrounding my daughter could have cost us her life if we had not reacted as quickly as we did. I also had to advocate for my daughter’s health because the infection was misdiagnosed only days before as an upper respiratory infection. I know there are those who believe that immunizations cause other problems; however, I believe that the good far outweighs the negative. Immunizations are beneficial because they prevent deadly illnesses from spreading across our nation and infecting millions of children.
Immunization in Ghana:
“The Expanded Programme (EPI) was launched in Ghana in 1978”. (2018) While there have been free and low-cost immunizations, there are still children who are not receiving immunizations. This is similar to the United States. The launch of the EPI was due to a “national strategy to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases”. (2018) An immunization schedule was introduced. The program has been reviewed over time and adjustments have been made to the schedule. While there has been an increase in the number of children being immunized, it is not yet universal.
References
Medline Plus (2019). Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/immunization.html
Asuman, D., Ackah, C.G., Enemark, U, (2018). Health Econ Rev . Inequalities in child immunization coverage in Ghana: evidence from a decomposition analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895562/ Published online 2018 Apr 11. doi: 10.1186/s13561-018-0193-7
According to Medline Plus (2019), “Immunization shots, or vaccines are essential.” While shots may be painful, they are beneficial because they prevent diseases that can cause health problems and even death. Some of the diseases are measles, polio, pertussis, and tetanus. Immunizations are required for children to attend daycare and public school. However, some states allow parents to choose not to immunize their children due to religious or other reasons. This can be dangerous for those children and for infants who are not yet old enough to receive the immunizations, as well as for those children who are immuno-compromised due to health or medical reasons.
The topic of immunizations is meaningful to me because when my daughter was an infant she contracted a strain of bacterial meningitis that is now preventable. She suffered a complication from the illness and developed hydrocephalus. She was three and a half months old. The situation surrounding my daughter could have cost us her life if we had not reacted as quickly as we did. I also had to advocate for my daughter’s health because the infection was misdiagnosed only days before as an upper respiratory infection. I know there are those who believe that immunizations cause other problems; however, I believe that the good far outweighs the negative. Immunizations are beneficial because they prevent deadly illnesses from spreading across our nation and infecting millions of children.
Immunization in Ghana:
“The Expanded Programme (EPI) was launched in Ghana in 1978”. (2018) While there have been free and low-cost immunizations, there are still children who are not receiving immunizations. This is similar to the United States. The launch of the EPI was due to a “national strategy to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases”. (2018) An immunization schedule was introduced. The program has been reviewed over time and adjustments have been made to the schedule. While there has been an increase in the number of children being immunized, it is not yet universal.
References
Medline Plus (2019). Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/immunization.html
Asuman, D., Ackah, C.G., Enemark, U, (2018). Health Econ Rev . Inequalities in child immunization coverage in Ghana: evidence from a decomposition analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895562/ Published online 2018 Apr 11. doi: 10.1186/s13561-018-0193-7
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post it was very informative and I came away knowing more information about immunizations. I do believe immunizations are very important in a child's early life. Especially in a child care setting where the risk of catching diseases is higher due to the close proximity. Learning that immunizations are not universal yet is also tough because knowing the importance it would be believed that people would be on board but theres an indifference I feel.
Great Post!
Hi Rebecca
ReplyDeleteI agree with your findings and opinion concerning the importance of immunizations. I work with children in a daycare setting and we try to express the importance to parents of having their shots up to date. The health department comes to make sure that the records are up to date but it is the responsibility of the center manager to make sure the parents are aware of the risk involving their child and other children. I enjoyed reading your post.