Health Officials Urge Parents to Get Their Children Vaccinated and Keep Communities Healthy

Immunizations prevent the deaths of thousands of children every year in the United States and are often regarded as one of history’s most important public health efforts.

While high immunization rates across the country have resulted in record low levels for a number of once-common infectious diseases, such as polio and measles, some children have not received one or more of their recommended vaccines.

“Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health tools for preventing serious disease, disability and death,” said Margaret Donnelly, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “It is vital that children get the vaccines they need.”

National Infant Immunization Week, April 25 to May 1, highlights the role of immunizations in saving lives and protecting communities from infectious diseases. The theme of this year’s event is “Love them. Protect them. Immunize them.”

Many people do not remember the suffering, disability and premature death that occurred before immunizations became commonplace. Therefore, health care providers and public health officials need to remind parents of the importance of getting their children immunized, Donnelly said.

From 1945 through 1959, Missouri residents suffered 8,702 cases of polio. After polio vaccines went into widespread use, the disease was virtually eliminated. Missouri has experienced just eight cases of polio since 1966 and none in the last 22 years.

Immunization efforts, which started in the 1920s and 1930s with vaccines against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, have expanded in recent decades. They now offer protection against diseases such as hepatitis, chicken pox, pneumonia and even the recent H1N1 flu, which caused illness worldwide.

Today, immunizations for 14 diseases are recommended for children before they reach age 2.

“By immunizing children, we can prevent more diseases than ever before,” Donnelly said. “A decision to vaccinate a child is also a decision to protect the entire community. When more people are vaccinated, fewer people can catch the disease and spread it to those who are vulnerable, such as leukemia patients who are unable to receive the vaccine.”

Parents should talk to their health care provider about the immunizations their child needs.

More information about immunizations can be found at: www.dhss.mo.gov/immunizations.