OpinionsNurse TalesIt takes a village to immunize a child

It takes a village to immunize a child

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When a baby is born, the whole family (“village”) rejoices and wishes the baby the best that life can offer as well as God’s manifold blessings. The parents are especially grateful for the gift of fertility and the life that is entrusted to them by God. It is a fact that just like a teacher, the parents’ influence on their children spans eternity.

According to the World Health Organization, “a fully immunized child is one who has received the Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis at birth; three doses each of polio and pentavalent diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus-hepatitis B (Hep), Haemophilus influenza type B (HiB) vaccines at six, 10, 14 weeks of age; and a vaccination against measles at nine months of age.”

A concept called ‘herd immunity’ or ‘community immunity’ helps to protect those who are not vaccinated. In other words, a person who is vaccinated prevents the disease from being spread to others in the community, including babies too young to receive vaccines; unvaccinated children and adults; pregnant women; the elderly; individuals with weak immune systems (those with asthma, and those undergoing treatment for chronic illnesses and for cancer), and individuals who are allergic to vaccine components.

So, vaccination is not a personal choice.

It is a fact that parents want the best for their children. But do we realize that the best way to protect our children is to have them fully immunized?

There are five important reasons to vaccinate your children: 1) Immunizations can save your child’s life – owing to advances in medical science, children can now be protected against more diseases unlike before; 2) Vaccination is very safe and effective — vaccines undergo rigorous safety testing prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are continually tested for safety. The discomforts experienced are minimal as compared to the benefits derived from the vaccines; 3) Immunization protects others you care about — children globally get vaccine-preventable diseases. However in the Philippines, a resurgence of measles, diphtheria and poliomyelitis, has placed the Expanded Program on Immunization and the DOH under close scrutiny. The Philippines has been certified Poliomyelitis free in October 2000, due to high OPV3 immunization coverage and good surveillance for polio; 4) Immunization can save your family time and money — a child has to present an immunization card as proof of having been immunized against preventable diseases and may be denied entrance to a school if he has not been immunized/or has no card; and 5) Immunization protects future generations — vaccines have reduced, and in some cases have eradicated many diseases that have killed or disabled people many generations ago, like smallpox vaccination which eliminated the disease worldwide.

Hence, children do not have to have smallpox shots anymore. By fully immunizing children now, parents in the future may be able to trust that some disease of today will be eradicated and not harm their children.

One of the global sustainable development targets aimed at reducing childhood mortality from preventable death is the goal of achieving universal vaccination coverage for all.

Full vaccination coverage has been the cornerstone of immunization programs in many countries.

Immunization prevents disease, disability, and deaths, and it also contributes to economic growth. It truly takes a village to fully immunize a child, because parents cannot do it alone, so let’s help them.

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Author’s email: [email protected]

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