By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
Rumors over the potential side effects of childhood vaccinations have caused many parents to think twice about inoculating their children in recent years. Although trying to protect their children, infectious disease experts point out that those who have chosen to forego vaccines may be putting their children, and the children around them, at far greater risk.
One example of this is pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. Until recently, this childhood disease had been kept at relatively low rates of occurrence since a vaccine was introduced. A new surge in cases, however, has raised concern among clinicians and public health officials alike.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pertussis accounted for approximately 175,000 infections per year in the United States. before the vaccine was available. By the mid-1980s, infection rates dropped to less than 3,000 per year. Recent data has shown that reduced vaccine usage has cause a severe spike in reports of the illness, with a reported 25,827 cases in 2004.
A new study conducted at the Kaiser Permanent Institute for Health Research in Denver, Colorado, revealed that children who were not immunized against pertussis were 23 times more likely to become infected than a child who had received the vaccination.
“There is a growing population of parents that are refusing vaccines,” said Jason Glanz, Ph.D., epidemiologist and lead author of the study which was published in the June issue of Pediatrics. “It’s still a small population but it’s growing. These parents are skeptical of the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, despite data that proves otherwise. That’s what inspired us to study vaccine refusal and to assess the risk associated with it.”
Parents who are refusing vaccinations for their children are doing so for a variety of reasons. Some do not trust the medical community in general, while others are afraid of possible side effects of injecting their child with dead or dormant forms of diseases.
While acknowledging their concerns, Glanz reported that today’s vaccines are safer than ever.
“Vaccines have been so refined that kids are exposed to fewer antigens from all their vaccines together than a single original small pox vaccine,” said Glanz. “Plus, children are exposed to far more antigens in daily life.”
Some parents also believe that the pertussis vaccine in particular is ineffective because it does not guarantee immunity against the disease. While no vaccine guarantees safety during exposure, Glanz’s revealed there is a significant difference: one in 20 unvaccinated children will become infected versus one in 500 of vaccinated children.
Glanz found that many skeptical parents who remain unconvinced of the safety of vaccines are relying on a concept known as “herd immunity” as an alternate form of disease prevention. In the concept of herd immunity, other children who have been vaccinated are immune to diseases and therefore, cannot be contagious to the unvaccinated children. Studies on the concept have shown that there really is no safety in numbers when it comes to immunity.
“As a community, we buy into the social contract that if we all get vaccinated, we’ll keep disease out of the community and vulnerable populations will be protected,” noted Glanz. “These vulnerable populations include infants that are too young to be vaccinated, children who get immunized because of health risks or allergies and some who don’t build enough immunity from the vaccine.”
One unvaccinated child who becomes infected could easily spread the disease to any of these “vulnerable” groups.
“While it’s a choice for some parents, for some parents it’s not a choice,” added Glanz. “Any child under two months cannot be vaccinated, so the unvaccinated child puts the other child at risk.”
With the risk posed to their children, and the community, Glanz noted that clinicians should address the concerns of parents while still encouraging them to vaccinate their children.
“It’s understandable why parents are concerned, because you’re giving it to a healthy child,” said Glanz. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about how vaccines can hurt children. It’s important for parents to bring it up with their doctor and to have these conversations so they get the right information to protect their children.”
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