Health News Florida, April 28, 2010
By Dennis Mayeaux, MD
President, Florida Academy of Family Physicians

Good health is perhaps the greatest gift a parent can give a child and vaccination is one of the most important ways parents can protect their children's health.

Diseases that were once commonplace, such as polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, diphtheria and rubella, are now only distant memories for most Americans. Today, there are few reminders of the suffering, disabilities and premature deaths caused by diseases that are now preventable with vaccines.

Immunization coverage among children in the United States is at or near the highest-ever recorded for most vaccines. High immunization coverage translates into record or near-record low levels of vaccine-preventable disease. But we cannot let our guard down.

Our success also means that many parents don't understand the importance of childhood immunization and which diseases can be prevented. Most of today's parents have never seen these diseases and the suffering they can cause and, therefore, are less concerned about the need for immunization compared to other parental priorities. However, these diseases are not diseases of the past. They are still with us and circulating in many parts of the world.

We can prevent more diseases than ever before, yet, despite recent gains in childhood immunization coverage, over one million of our nation's two year olds are still missing one or more of the recommended immunizations. Each day 12,000 babies are born who will need to be immunized against fourteen diseases before age two.

Low immunization coverage is an issue that impacts the entire community. Therefore, community resources, and more importantly, community participation is essential to increasing immunization coverage. A decision to vaccinate a child is a decision to not only protect that individual child, but to also protect the community by reducing the spread of disease to those who have not been vaccinated either by choice or because of medical reasons, as is the case with children with leukemia.

Parents and health care providers must work together to ensure that all children are fully immunized. As a parent, you can:

   1. Make sure your child is up-to-date on immunizations. Visit CDC’s childhood scheduler at http://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/kidstuff/newscheduler_le/ to find out which immunizations your child needs.

   2. Get an immunization card or record, and bring it to every physician visit.

   3. Ask at every visit if your child needs an immunization.

   4. Talk with your child’s physician, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

   5. Visit the CDC website at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines or call 800- CDC-INFO for more information on immunizations.

   6. Find out if your child may be eligible to get free vaccines through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/ or ask your child's healthcare provider. 

Health care providers in Florida can register with the Department of Health's Florida SHOTS program at www.flshots.com or call 877-888-7468.