There are now 14 vaccine-preventable diseases including polio and tetanus. “In fact, the reason they are gone is because of immunizations”.
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Health departments, national immunization partners, physicians and other health care professionals will conduct outreach and educational activities this week, along with other events, to shine a spotlight on the nationwide impact of vaccines and to emphasize their historical success.
Among children born during 1994-2013, vaccinations will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes.
“Immunizations protect children from diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, which can cause serious and sometimes permanent health problems”, the release said.
Vaccines are one of the most successful cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death, according to the health department.
The state has one of the highest rates of immunization for school-age children, but infants are under-immunized.
During doctor visits, Bowling said children can get several shots, which can, sometimes, scare parents. Infants are particularly vulnerable, she said.
Gupta said there are more than 400 immunization providers statewide, including pediatricians and family practitioners, plus local health departments, that provide vaccines. However, the USA experienced a record number of measles cases in 2014, with 667 cases in 27 states.
Vaccine schedules for infants who used two different rotavirus vaccines were safe and produced immune responses comparable with single-vaccine schedules.
Van Hulzen encourages everyone to be vaccinated for the health of their children and the community. “It doesn’t mean the child has no immunization”.
“In summary, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was found to be highly effective in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease among young children in the United States”, Matthew R. Moore, MD, from the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and colleagues wrote.
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The DHHR has a program called the West Virginia Vaccines for Children which provides vaccines to children with low income or uninsured families.
