Child Development and Public Health

The public health topic I chose was immunizations. Immunizations are an important part of a child's well-being. I chose this topic because I just completed a training on immunizations and after I was trained I was able to do a workshop on the importance of immunizations with the clients I serve. I was amazed to find out that many did not know the truth of the importance of vaccinations or immunizations. Immunizations are safe and will protect children against several communicable diseases. Many children may still contract these communicable diseases, but the severity of the disease will not occur if the child has received their vaccinations. Many people have the misconception that the vaccines will protect a child from getting the communicable disease, this is not true. The severity such as loosing a body part or dying from these diseases are least likely if the child is vaccinated. According to the CDC, immunizations is a way of creating to certain diseases by using small amounts of a killed or weakened microorganisms that cause the particular disease. Another belief that people have about vaccines is that they will get the disease. That is not true, even though they are injecting the virus or disease in you that does not mean that you will get it. In the 1990's there was an epidemic of measles. Many children were contracting measles and dying. The Center for Disease Control decided to come up with a vaccine that would help protect children from getting this disease or from having sever reactions to this disease. I remember my school received a letter stating that all children must receive this measles immunization. As a child I did not know what was going, but many Americans were panicking and wanted the government to fix this problem. Today traveling outside of the country is very frequent and the CDC has developed vaccines that are an epidemic in other countries, to control the spread of the virus or disease in the United States. Other countries such as Nigeria does not vaccinate their children. Barely 10 percent of their children receive their routine vaccinations. Limited resources for health services has put these children at risk. There is said to be a polio outbreak in Nigeria because of the scare of the polio vaccine or it is no longer available. 
Immunizations are important to me and my future because it means that if children are not vaccinated and they contract a communicable disease it can spread to me and other adults if we were not properly vaccinated. This could also jeopardize my family if I bring this virus or disease home. A communicable disease that is prevalent now in the US is the whooping cough. The whooping cough has came back because many adults do not know they have it. It is not severe in adults as it is in infants and young children. Many people might say I have this cough I can't get rid of and continue to go to work and spread this disease. Now pregnant women are required to get a vaccine for whooping cough and any adults who are going to be around a newborn is required to get a vaccine. These vaccines are safe and can save lives. I already knew that it was important for my daughter to get vaccinated because I wanted her to be safe and healthy. Young children are more vulnerable for contracting these diseases. Even though newborns have already developed some immunization from these diseases through the mother, the level of immunization is very low and getting immunized will help boost up the level of protection. 

References:

Centers for Disease Control (2013). Retrieved from www.cdc.org

PATH: Immunizaiton in Nigeria (2013). Retrieved from www.path.org 

http://www.waldenu.edu