Child Development and Public Health

Immunizations are in the news.  Those terms and timelines are part of our early parenting experience.  From the time I had my first child in the 1980’s to my last in the mid 1990’s the number of immunizations recommended increased to include varicella, Hep A, Hep B and booster shots for middle school, high school and college.  As adults we often think we no longer need to receive booster shots.  Washington State is experiencing a significant increase in whooping cough cases and is asking teens and adults to get re-immunized to protect the very young.

                In a speech in France at the Living Proof in Paris in 2011, Bill Gates spoke of the progress being made to eradicate diseases through a collaborative effort of members of the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunizations (GAVI).  He praised the efforts of France, United Kingdom, and Norway for their generosity and the collaborative efforts being supported by the Gates Foundation.  Gates shared that the efforts to improve global health were two-fold: immunize children to reduce mortality and increase farmer productivity to provide adequate nutrition.  There was one illustration I found particularly interesting.  It demonstrates the progress being made to eradicate polio (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/livingproofproject/Pages/progress-against-polio.aspx).  There are only four countries left to achieve non-endemic status.

In my research I also uncovered contrasting opinions.  There are those that believe that immunizations are a way to scare people into making drug companies rich.  Their argument is that reduction in disease is the result only of clean water and better nutrition.  They make their case, but do not include all the influencing factors.  One critical characteristic that makes immunization a global concern is the ease at which people travel to different communities and countries.  The “don’t vaccinate” proponents criticize the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunizations (GAVI) as a mechanism for Bill Gates to earn his next million. (Child Health Safety, 2010, p. 2).  From my personal experience in childcare for the past thirty years I can verify that mobility contributes to the spread of disease in healthy populations that practice good hygiene and have access to nutritious foods.  Before children were immunized for chicken pox my staff and I could mark the calendar fourteen days after Winter break for the first case of chicken pox.  The pattern of visiting family or friends out of the area and then returning home brought with it more than great memories.  A strain of an infection that the homogenous community was not prepared to fight off.  I observed this pattern for over ten years.  Providing young children with the chicken pox vaccine eliminated the pattern of chicken pox spreading each winter quarter.

Young parents that have been raised in a community where there is no longer the fear of exposure to life threatening illnesses may become complacent about immunizations. As a childcare provider I have the opportunity to keep parents informed about the risks.  By providing supportive documents for both positions and can enpower them to make knowledgeable choices.  I live in an area with a high population of immigrants some with documentation of immunizations and other undocumented as to their vaccination status; therefore the level of understanding and common values around immunizing cannot be assumed.

Reference

Child Health Safety, (October 2010). Vaccines did not save us-2 centuries of official statistics. Retrieved from http://childhealthsafety.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/vaccines-did-not-save-us-e28093-2-centuries-of-official-statistics.pdf

Gates, B. (2011, April 4) [Living Proof speech]. Remarkable progress is being made in development. Living Proof in Paris, France. [Video podcast] Retrieved from http://one.org/livingproof/en/story/bill-gates-living-proof-paris/