Prior to the advent of vaccinations, diseases such as polio, measles, rubella, flu and whooping cough killed thousands of infants, children, and adults yearly. Today, these childhood illnesses have largely become a thing of the past in the United States due to routine vaccinations. Not just vaccinations of our children, but also routine vaccinations of adults. These two measures, vaccinating children and adults, have nearly eradicated these diseases in the U.S. The only way that we can continue to be free of these debilitating and deadly diseases is to continue this trend.
Unfortunately, these illnesses still occur in other areas of the world.
THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
Before the measles vaccine was available, nearly everyone contracted this disease, and hundreds died from it each year. Recently, measles has been a hot topic in the news, with outbreaks across the country. While many believe measles to be harmless, causing only a simple rash, it can have far worse consequences. During an epidemic of Rubella (German measles) in 1964-65, 12.5 million Americans were infected, causing 2,000 infant deaths and 11,000 miscarriages. Diphtheria is another disease that has been successfully prevented with a vaccine, but in 1921, before the vaccine existed, nearly 15,000 Americans died from the disease. Since 2004, there has been only one case of diphtheria in the United States. Polio has also been eradicated in the U.S., but it is still paralyzing unvaccinated children in African countries.
THE CONTINUED NEED
If we want to continue to prevent our children from contracting and passing on these illnesses, we have to protect them and ourselves with the use of routine vaccinations. Children begin their vaccination course between the age of 0-6 months, with the bulk of the vaccinations given at two months, and concluding around 4-6 years of age. During these very crucial times, children are still prone to illness, as their immune systems have not fully developed a resistance to fighting illnesses such as measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. This is where “herd immunity” comes into play.
Herd immunity is simply the process in which people who can be vaccinated indeed get vaccinated, and by doing so prevent those unable to receive the vaccine from being exposed to a disease. In other words, if the disease is not active in the populace because the majority of people are vaccinated, those who have not been vaccinated cannot become sick because the disease simply does not exist. A simple example is where parents of a newborn receive the whooping cough vaccine to help protect their baby, who cannot yet be vaccinated. By protecting themselves from catching whooping cough, they also prevent the possible spread of the disease to their newborn child.
Once the initial series of childhood vaccines is completed, there are then the “catch-up” vaccinations from 7 to 18 years old.
For adults, it is recommended that the flu vaccine be administered annually and that Tetanus (TD or Tdap) booster shots be given every ten years. Other booster shots, such as Varicella (for chickenpox) and MMR (for measles, mumps, and rubella), may be needed if adult blood tests show an individual has no immunity to these diseases. Generally, after 60 years of age, the Shingles vaccine is recommended, and after 65, the Pneumococcus vaccine.
VACCINE MYTHS
For years, there has been some misleading information in the media linking vaccinations, particularly the MMR vaccine, to autism. This misinformation began in 1998 with a study of 12 children in the United Kingdom. It was alleged that the MMR vaccine damaged the lining of the children’s intestines, which allowed certain proteins to enter the blood and brain, leading to the development of autism. After publication of this controversial study, extensive follow-up studies were done, disproving this claim, and the paper was later retracted from the public record in 2010. In 2011, the study was exposed as fraudulent, with the author shown to have falsified his research.
Unfortunately, although there is overwhelming evidence showing that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, the damage had already been done. As a result, many parents have refused to vaccinate their children, leading to a rise in cases of certain childhood diseases. Hopefully, with education campaigns, along with discussion of these issues among parents and their pediatricians, we can end this anti-vaccination trend and return to routine vaccination of our children and ourselves, preventing another epidemic like the Rubella outbreak of 1964.
Worst of all, it is young infants and children who suffer the most if we lose sight of the importance of routine vaccinations. By getting vaccinated and maintaining an active immunity against these diseases, we can prevent ourselves from getting sick and infecting others – often those we love the most.
Jilliann Elliott, M.D. is a board certified internal medicine physician and a member of Phelps Medical Associates, the primary and specialty care medical group of Phelps Hospital. Elliott received her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed a residency in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. Phelps Medical Associates, 701 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. 366-5490. phelpsmedicalassociates.org.
