Parents Talk: The Issue of Immunizations
This week in Parents Talk, we ask parents do/did you immunize your child/children or not?
Last week, in Burlington, N.C., officials with the Alamance County Public Health Department discovered an unusually high number of cases of pertussis or whooping cough. The agency confirmed 82 cases of pertussis affecting 14 schools and child care centers throughout the county. A majority of those cases came from the area's elementary and middle schools. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious illness that, at first, mimics symptoms of the common cold - a runny nose, sneezing, a mild cough and a fever. With pertussis, the cough becomes increasingly more rapid, even violent, causing fits that can force the affected to make a "whooping" sound when trying to inhale. In the…
Alison Gowans
12:16 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
As a public health educator for the last two years, I have to agree with David. When you decide not to immunize, you put not only your own child's health at risk, but the greater public's. If you're worried, get the science-based facts; talk to your doctor and read the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines (http://www.aap.org/en-us/search/pages/results.aspx?k=immunizations). It is always best… more ›