  |  | | Now is a good time to sort out the facts | By Mike Magee, MD
It's time to go back to school. And for parents of brand new students, that means digging out your child's immunization record. By requiring all new public school students to have up to date vaccinations, we've reached the critical numbers necessary to protect our population. While individual immunity is extremely important, “community immunity” is critical from a public health perspective1,2,3,4 The higher the numbers of protected citizens, the less likely a disease will spread from child to child and cause an epidemic.
We know from experience that complacency when it comes to getting vaccinations can lead to disaster. For example, in the early 1960's, measles caused 48,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths a year among U.S. children. With licensure of the vaccine in 1963, the number of cases was rapidly reduced. Then, around 1990, measles immunization rates dropped. As a result, 55,000 new cases were reported, with 11,000 hospitalizations and 125 deaths.1,5 According to Dr. Louis Z. Cooper, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “The overall number of children who contract preventable diseases is down 99 percent since the early 1970's. Still, if even one child dies from an easily preventable disease, its one child too many. Not fully immunizing children is one of the most serious and potentially fatal mistakes a parent can make.”
There are now 13 vaccine-preventable diseases: diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, pertussis, pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis, polio, rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, and varicella (or chickenpox).2,5 In 2004, 83 percent of U.S. children age 19 to 35 months were up-to-date on their shots, compared to 76% in 1996.3
What do these shots do? They introduce the child’s immune system to a harmless portion of the microorganism for each disease. Having been exposed, the immune system gears up to destroy any real offenders that may be encountered in the future.
Today there are a lot of misconceptions about vaccines. In an effort to debunk the myths, organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide accurate, easy-to- read information on their web sites.
Let’s take on a few of the myths one by one:
Myth: Vaccines cause many harmful side effects, illnesses and even death.
The Truth? Vaccines are remarkably safe and effective. Each one undergoes about 10 years of research before it’s approved by the FDA. After it’s approved, safety monitoring for side effects continues. Most side effects are minor and temporary, such as a sore arm or minor fever.6
Myth: Disease is rare in the United States, so there’s no need to be vaccinated.
The Truth? We live in a global society that creates many opportunities every day for the reintroduction of microorganisms into our communities. Experience tells us that when immunization rates fall, diseases rapidly reappear.6
Myth: Giving multiple vaccinations at the same time – like MMR for measles, mumps, and rubella – increases the risk of side effects.
The Truth? Studies show no increased risks with combined vaccines. This is logical, since our bodies are used to being simultaneously challenged by multiple germs of differing types. Grouping vaccines together increases the likelihood of reaching acceptable levels of community-wide immunity.6
Myth: Even if you’re vaccinated, you can get the disease, so it’s not worth the trouble.
The Truth? Childhood vaccines are 95% effective in providing long-term immunity. The best protection for the 5% whose bodies don’t respond to vaccination is high immunity levels in the community to make it unlikely they will be exposed to the disease.6
Myth: The DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine causes sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
The Truth? While both occur in the same time frame of an infant’s life, multiple studies have found no evidence of any causal connection.6
Myth: Measles vaccine causes autism.
The Truth? There is no evidence of a causal association. A study of 530,000 Danish children, the results of which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that rates of autism were no different among vaccinated and unvaccinated children.7
The bottom line is any risks that might be associated with vaccination are minor when compared to the benefits.
For Health Commentary, I'm Mike Magee
References:
1. American Academy of Pediatrics. Vaccines continue to be vital in protecting children’s lives. 20 Oct. 2002.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Immunization Program. Vaccine-Preventable Childhood Diseases. 1 June 2007.
3. America’s Children In Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2006. Health.
4. National Network for Immunization Information. Immunization Issues: Community Immunity.
5. Lewis R. Vaccines: Victims of their own success? The Scientist. 2004; 18:15. 19 July 2004.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Immunization Program. Six Common Misconceptions. 29 MY 2007.
7. Madsen KM, et al. A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism. NEJM. 2002: 347:1477-1482
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