Immunizations:

While vaccination does carry some risks, the chances experiencing a serious reaction to a vaccine are extremely small. Aside from a few rare exceptions, the advantages of immunization far outweigh the risks involved. Without vaccinations, fatal disease such as diptheria, pertusiss, and hepatitis would be widespread in our society.

Immunizations are most effective if everyone (except those who are determined by their physician to be at extreme risk for infection from the vaccine) in a population gets vaccinated. Some people believe that if everyone around them is immunized then they do not need to receive the immunization themselves. This idea, referred to as "herd immunity", is a false sense of security. It is true that if people around you are not infected by, and therefore don't carry the disease the chances of you contracting the disease are very slim.

However, the more people who chose not rely on herd immunity and not become vaccinated or do not vaccinate their children, the smaller the "herd" becomes and the more likely the disease is to reappear among the population. It is also often the case that ardent believers in non-vaccination tend to form associations and communities among themselves, removing them from the immunized "herd", thereby undermining their strategy for vicarious protection from disease.

Despite the very occurrence of such diseases as polio, measles, and pertusiss since the introduction of the vaccines, the pathogens that cause these diseases are still present in the environment and can still effectively cause disease in unprotected individuals. This is proven by the fact that theses diseases are still common in those parts of the world in which people are not vaccinated.

Childhood Immunization Schedule

About the Vaccines and Diseases 

Hepatitis B:
Hepatitis B is primarily a liver disease. It is caused by a virus and transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids. The disease mostly infects at-risk adults (i.e. health care workers, injection drug users, sexually active individuals), however infants can contract the disease from their infected mothers. Hepatitis is sometimes asymptomatic yet it kills close to 1 million people each year and infects 4000 American children. The following is a list of available Hepatitis b vaccines and their manufacturers. Ask your doctors which is right for you and your child.

DTaP
The DTaP vaccine protects against Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (the little “a” stands for acellular which means the vaccine does not contain a live organism).

Diptheria causes a film to form on the back of the throat and can lead to difficulty in breathing, heart failure and paralysis. Diptheria is passed person to person and is fatal in approximately 10% of patients. Tetanus is contracted through deep wounds and cuts. Also known as lockjaw, it causes paralysis of the mouth and prevents the patient from swallowing. It also can cause sever muscle spasms. Approximately 30% of those infected with tetanus die from the disease.Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, is a very serious disease, especially for children under one year of age. As its name suggests, Pertussis causes a severe cough and choking that can last from a few weeks to a few months. In the most serious cases the cough can lead to oxygen loss and brain damage. Pertussis is passed through human contact and kills 1 of every 200 infected individuals.While some patients experience mild side effects to the vaccine, such as redness, soreness, or low-grade fever, the benefits to the vaccine far outweigh the risks. The shots give 70-90% protection against Pertussis, 85% protection against Diptheria, and 95% protection against Tetanus compared to the only 0.1-1.0% of patients who experience serious reactions to the vaccines.

HIB
The HIB vaccine protects against Haemophilus Influenza type B. The Haemophilus influenza bacterium can cause severe disease including epiglottitis, pneumonia, skin and bone infections, and meningitis. Meningitis caused by Haemophilus is extremely dangerous and kills 5% of infected children leaving another 25% with serious neurological problems. The HIB vaccine has proven very safe and effective with only a rare occurrence of very mild side effects.
 
Polio
Polio is a disease that cause severe muscle pains and can result in paralysis of the legs. Polio has no known cure and the extent to which the disease affects patients depends on the individual. The Polio vaccine is offered as a live vaccine (OPV) or as an inactivated vaccine (IPV). The OPV contains a weakened, live virus and is taken orally. The IPV contains an inactivated form of the virus and is administered as a shot. Approximately 90% of those who receive either type of the Polio vaccine are effectively protected from the disease. In contrast, only 1 in 1.5 million people who are vaccinated become paralyzed from the vaccine.

Pneumococcal
The Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. This bacterium causes severe diseases such as bacterial meningitis and bacteremia (i.e. blood infection). These diseases can be extremely debilitating if not fatal. While antibiotics can sometimes be used to treat pneumococcal diseases, there is a growing concern about the threat of bacterial resistance, which will leave antibiotics ineffective against these life-threatening diseases. The risks associated with this vaccine are very low and the possible side effects are very mild, similar to those of other childhood vaccines.

MMR
The MMR vaccine protects against the diseases Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Since these diseases are viral, not bacterial, they cannot be treated with antibiotics. All three of these diseases are highly contagious and spread through airborne particles. Measles generally manifests with a rash, fever, cough, runny nose, and possible eye irritation. It can progress to more serious symptoms such as pneumonia, ear infection, and seizures. In some cases it can lead to brain damage and death. Mumps causes headaches, swollen glands and fevers. Although it rarely leads to death, it can result in meningitis, swollen ovaries or testicles, or deafness. Rubella, or German Measles, produces a rash with mild fever and possible arthritis. Rubella is especially dangerous to pregnant women as it can lead to serious birth defects or miscarriage of the fetus.

As with other vaccines, the risks involved in contracting any of these diseases is far greater than the risks involved in getting vaccinated.
Varicella The Varicella vaccine protects against the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) which causes Chiken Pox. While chicken pox is commonly known as a childhood disease, and is relatively mild in children, it can also cause sever disease in adults and neonates. Chicken pox manifests as a red rash spread all over the body and face, sometimes accompanied by mild fever. In adults and immunocompromized individuals it can reoccur after a latent period in the more serious from of shingles. While most patients fully recover from chicken pox and shingles, it can at times be fatal or lead to more serious complications from secondary infections.

Before introduction of the vaccine, there were approximately 4 million cases of chicken pox a year in the United States. Since the Varicella vaccine was first marketed in 1974, studies have shown that 90% of individuals receiving the vaccine remain immune to Varicella for up to 20 years. While Varicella diseases are not as dangerous as those prevented by other vaccines, since is it highly contagious and there is no direct cure being that antibiotics are ineffective against viral infection, this vaccine is considered extremely important in maintaining the health of the population.

The Center for Disease control provides more detailed information about all of these vaccines and the diseases they prevent. Visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8005df1f