Let's Talk About It!!! Vaccinations.

Today's 'Let's Talk About It' post is going to be on vaccinations.

I know there has been a lot of controversy back and forth on vaccinations, since the measle outbreak at Disneyland. Honestly, there really shouldn't be any controversy about it. Just do it. (that's my opinion)

It is so important for the structure of a community to have parent's vaccinate their children from contagious diseases. However, it's absolutely true that there are some situations where a child or an adult can't be vaccinated, such as going through cancer treatment. Sometimes a kid's immune system is not strong enough to take on an additional shot because it's already fighting with the cancer or another disease. This is where 'Community Immunity or Herd Immunity' comes into play. Here's the best way to explain it...

From www.vaccines.gov

"When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for certain vaccines—such as infants, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individuals—get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is contained. This is known as "community immunity." In the illustration below, the top box depicts a community in which no one is immunized and an outbreak occurs. In the middle box, some of the population is immunized but not enough to confer community immunity. In the bottom box, a critical portion of the population is immunized, protecting most community members. The principle of community immunity applies to control of a variety of contagious diseases, including influenza, measles, mumps, rotavirus, and pneumococcal disease."





As a human race, we need to protect those who are unable to get vaccinations. Some may say "the strong will survive", and while that may be true, IN THE MEANTIME, we need to protect those who cannot protect themselves for various reasons.

Now, on the other hand, I believe as a parent you have to do what's in the best of interest of your child. You can pick and choose, which vaccinations you actually want your child to have. Your best pick, will be all of the ones that cover contagious diseases. If you're not choosing to vaccinate, be responsible then. Don't bring your child around others when they are sick, as you are risking other's from getting sick. If I can't send my child to school with peanut butter because someone else's kid may have an allergic reaction; then please don't take your's out and about while he or she are sick. We need to work together to keep our kids, and others safe. Trust me, noone enjoys being sick.

What are your thoughts??