Since the invention of the vaccine, many lives have been saved from serious life-threatening diseases every year. Children who have been given the twelve routine childhood vaccinations are much less likely to contract the disease they have been immunized against. Because these diseases can cause serious complications, even death, every child should be immunized from an early age to protect not only themselves, but also those around them.
There are twelve potentially serious diseases that children are typically immunized against, these are: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Polio, Hepatitis A and B, Pneumococcal disease, Varicella (Chicken Pox), and Haemophilus Influenza Type B (HIB Disease).
Before vaccines became available these diseases caused serious complications and even killed many people worldwide. For example, according to MedicineNet.
com (2004), before there was a vaccine for diphtheria it used to kill over 10,000 children every year; it is now so rare that doctors almost never even see a case of it. Also according to MedicineNet. com (2004), “parents in the 1950’s were terrified as polio paralyzed children by the thousands…now the fight against polio is nearly won” (p. 1).
Although these diseases are more rare than they use to be, if contracted they still cause the same effects; “pneumonia, choking, brain damage, heart problems, liver cancer, blindness…[and] they still kill children every year even in the United States” (MedicineNet.
The Essay on Tay Sachs Disease Child Enzyme
Tay-Sachs Tay-Sachs disease is a genetic disorder that occurs in children. This disease causes their central nervous system to breakdown, which in turn is the basis for their death. The disease is named for Warren Tay and Bernard Sachs. Tay-Sachs disease is caused by the absence of an enzyme called Hexosamindase A, which is referred to as Hex-A. The lack of this enzyme causes many metabolic ...
com, 2004, p. 3).
Exposure rates to most of these diseases have been lowered, however, exposure still occurs. For example, MedicineNet. com (2004) states that a young male child who was the only one in his class not to be immunized, caught diphtheria and consequently died from it. It is not safe to assume that because exposure rates to these diseases have lowered in the United States that your child will not still suffer from exposure. America is a melting pot of people from many different places worldwide where these diseases are still more prevalent.
Children who have not been immunized against these diseases run a much higher risk of becoming ill due to exposure and spreading it to others who have not become immune. Not only should all children be immunized, but they should be immunized from a very early age. A young infant or child is more likely to contract these diseases because their bodies have not had enough time to build up immunity (Illinois Department of Public Health, n. d. , p. 1).
Also, according to MedicineNet. com (2004), “some diseases are far more serious or common among young infants or young children” (p.
3).
These age recommendations have been set “to give children the earliest and best protection against disease” (MedicineNet. com, 2004, p. 3).
Vaccinations have been wonderful inventions that have saved the lives of children worldwide. Without vaccinations children would still be suffering the effects of diseases that were at one time epidemics. Thanks to these vaccines children who have been immunized have a better chance of living a long healthy life. They now are able to develop immunity to the disease before ever being exposed to it.
