Concerned Parents Call Out Irresponsible Media
Modern culture is often reflected in everything from the skewed view of popular reality shows and viral YouTube videos, to the personal discussions friends have on Facebook and in online chat rooms. Since we are bombarded by such a wide variety of media, today’s parents must constantly navigate the popular messages and decipher between that which serves to entertain, versus that which is intended as news and information. The challenge is that this is becoming increasingly difficult to do – especially when it pertains to parenting and children’s health.
Recently, one of our Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook friends discovered an online article entitled Why Shouldn’t We Vaccinate Our Children , which appeared in the Family Health section of Discovery’s “The Learning Channel” site. The author is a senior writer at HowStuffWorks.com, co-host of the Stuff You Should Know podcast, and posts on Facebook at the official Stuff You Should Know page. While one may read his article in hopes of learning how “stuff” (like vaccines and our immune systems) work, the article fails to deliver anything but broad generalizations and unsupported suggestions. Rather than providing parents with a clear understanding of the science behind vaccines, the article is a disappointment that suggests parents be concerned about vaccines without offering any solid evidence.
If The Learning Channel were truly committed to helping people “learn”, and the author wanted to write about “stuff you should know“, then the article should have included information from those who do know stuff. Specifically stuff about vaccines. That’s not to say that the writer must be an infectious disease specialist in order to present accurate information on immunizations. But it would have been better if an expert was actually consulted on the article. Without any specific references or resources to refer to, this author’s piece is completely unsubstantiated, yet disguised as something that some may consider credible. Even though he suggests that people do “independent research on this issue,” he fails to direct readers to reputable sources where they can gain further information.
Fortunately, several members of the Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook page were quick to raise concern. Read more…
Moms Who Vax Are Speaking Out
Last week I heard about a woman, opposed to vaccines, that presents business cards to random strangers, like the pregnant teller at the bank. The card directs people to information that is intended to deter them from immunizing their children. While this woman is a prime example of the vocal minority, the truth is that the majority of parents vaccinate their children as recommended. They just don’t feel the need to advertise it to strangers. But perhaps it’s time for this to change.
The Moms Who Vax blog is an excellent representation of parents who are speaking out in favor of immunizations. With increasing cases of vaccine preventable diseases, along with growing numbers of intentionally unvaccinated children, some parents are becoming more vocal in their immunization advocacy efforts. Parents, like Jessica Parker, have decided to speak out – on blogs, on Facebook threads, in mommy chat rooms, directly to their members of Congress and, most importantly, to other parents who are faced with decisions concerning their children’s health and immunizations.
Jessica explains why she has become so passionate about this issue;
“I never even knew of the pro-/anti-vax battleground until I had children. It was never something I questioned, and it was never an option to consider not protecting them. The mere list of symptoms and long-lasting effects of preventable diseases was enough to convince me to vaccinate my kids. Then, when I got pregnant with my second child, a friend gave me an anti-vax book in hopes that I would change my mind. I’ll admit, it made me angry. The outright lies were easy to see through. All it did was fuel my passion to educate others on vaccination.”
Recently, Jessica returned from a trip where she made a surprising discovery. A disease, which is now vaccine preventable, had impacted her family in ways she had never known. Her story appears on Moms Who Vax to remind parents of the differences vaccines have made in our lives today – for us, as parents, as well as for our children.
How Measles Made a Mark on My Family, by Jessica Parker
I’m sure many mothers can relate when I say that family is my world. My extended family tells me where I came from. My parents helped shape who I am today. My sister was my first friend. My husband is my teammate. My children are my legacy. Family is one thing I will never tire of investing in (though I do have my moments of needing a break), and my children are one thing I will always fight to protect. Read more…
Evaluating Vaccines Requires Critical Thinking
Most of the topics I post about on this blog are intended to encourage conversation about solutions to immunization challenges. However, more often than not, the comment section on each post is inevitably derailed by those who wish to discredit the value of vaccines. These visitors often make repeated claims about the thoroughly debunked vaccine/autism link, or they suggest that the immunization industry is plagued with corruption, or even that there is some large government conspiracy in which they claim that toxins in vaccines are intended to poison us all. This is not to say that this blog is the only place where this type of conversation occurs. Sadly it is not. In fact, for every article that attempts to credit vaccines in some way, you can pretty much bet that there will be negative comments in response.
Fortunately, there are plenty of well-educated people out there who spend a great deal of time and effort diligently responding to these inaccurate claims. They consistently defend the science that supports vaccinations and try to correct the logic of those who consistently criticize vaccines. They are much more eloquent than I and no doubt, have far greater patience.
But I must acknowledge that there are also a great number of people who read these posts, and lots of other immunization information, in an effort to learn more about vaccines. They may be curious about something they read elsewhere online, or they may be concerned about something they heard from a friend or family member. They may even be inquiring about an immunization recommendation they received from their doctor. Each of these readers have valid concerns and questions and we hope that this blog will help them get the information they are seeking.
However, as I was recently reviewing the varied comments on this blog, I realized that many comments may be confusing to those who don’t engage in immunization conversations on a daily basis. Then, as I was discussing critical thinking with my high school daughter the other day, I remembered these insightful videos that a friend shared with me. As basic as they may be, I believe they can offer us some points to consider as we read through the various comments on this blog.
Take for instance this first video, which expands upon the way in which we use logic in formulating an argument.
The second video introduces how broken logic, or “logical fallacies”, can easily be mistaken for logic. Read more…
The Cost of Containing An Epidemic
We already know that there is a pertussis epidemic in Washington State. But here’s the update today.
The Governor is tapping into an emergency fund to help contain the epidemic and encourage residents to get vaccinated.
Perhaps this is a prime example of how it can be more costly to address an epidemic of a vaccine preventable disease than to first attempt to minimize the impact of disease through immunizations.
The Seattle Times and various other news sources have provided the following specifics in regards to the Washington state of affairs:
- Governor Chris Gregoire is making $90,000 in crisis cash available to help strengthen a public awareness campaign about the need for vaccination.
- The campaign will include radio ads, public service announcements, Facebook and Google ads, and possibly some bus and billboard ads as well.
- The state has received approval from the federal government to divert federal funds for the purchase of 27,000 doses of vaccine that will be made available to the uninsured.
- The state has already recorded 1,132 cases of pertussis so far this year, which is about 10 times more than last year.
- The state has been seeing about 400 cases per month, which is four times more than the threshold for what is considered “epidemic”.
- The Secretary of Health Mary Selecky and State Senator Maria Cantwell plan to ask the CDC to send investigators and epidemiologists to help the state study and contain the epidemic which will assist state health officials with their response and identify why the epidemic is growing so quickly.
So, what are your thoughts about this? Do you think it will work, or is it too little, too late? Read more…
Pertussis Problems Persist
Not enough can be done to ensure people are educated about the dangers of pertussis (also known as whooping cough). That’s why I wanted to highlight a few of this week’s articles that focus on issues related to pertussis.
Brady’s Battle Proves Pertussis Can Present in Unexpected Ways
CommonHealth writer, Rachel Zimmerman, was familiar with Brady’s story that we highlighted on Shot of Prevention last week. She recently wrote an article (located here) which addresses specific questions regarding whooping cough with detailed responses from the CDC. She also included highlights from a recent interview she conducted with Dr. Ben Kruskal, a pediatrician and director of infection control and travel medicine at Harvard Vanguard and director of infectious diseases at Atrius Health. When she asked what clinicians should do when confronted with infants like Brady, who had contracted pertussis, but didn’t exhibit the “classic” violent cough or whooping sound, Dr. Kruskal said this:
“Actually it turns out that most people who have whooping cough don’t show the classic signs of whooping cough. It’s really a substantial minority but still a minority of people who have it who have the classic clusters of cough that are so closely spaced that the patient has to take in this deep breath at the end of this cluster which produces the characteristic whoop.”
Accurate Diagnosis of Pertussis is Challenging
It’s probable that many cases of pertussis go undiagnosed and unreported, which makes this particular disease difficult to identify and therefore difficult to manage. Since this particular bacterial infection often presents like a bad cold many people simply don’t realize they are infected, and they unknowingly expose others to this contagious disease. While the symptoms may linger, which is why pertussis is often referred to as ”the 100 day cough”, most people will eventually recover. However, whooping cough is especially devastating for infants and young children, whose small bodies have difficulty fighting off the persistent bacteria.
So when should you seek help for a cough? You’ll want to bookmark today’s post on the PKIDS (Parent’s of Kids with Infectious Diseases) blog. It has been written by Dr. Kristen Feemster, who is not only an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Pereleman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, but also an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She provides a thorough analysis of pertussis to include a detailed background of the disease, what symptoms parents should look for in infants, young children, adolescents and adults, as well as details about testing. Read more…
Every Child By Two Partners With Shot@Life
Last week’s Shot@Life campaign launch was not only impressive, but extremely inspirational.
Several months ago, I learned how the Shot@Life campaign was focused on building awareness, raising funds and advocating for the millions of children around the world who do not have access to life-saving vaccines.
The message is simple, yet profound.
Every 20 seconds a child dies around the world of a disease that can be prevented by a vaccine… and we’re going to do something about it.
Personal Advocacy
As a parent who has been heavily engaged in the immunization dialogue for the past two years, I quickly identified with the Shot@Life message. However, in the past few weeks, what has inspired me the most about this campaign, has been the way in which the 30 other grassroot champions embraced this message. Since we all attended the Shot@Life volunteer summit in February each of these champions have found a way to utilize their time and creativity to bring the Shot@Life message to the masses. All across the country, these everyday moms, d
edicated professionals, interested educators and concerned bloggers have hosted special Shot@Life events. From themed birthday parties and special events, to awareness walks and in-district meetings with their Members of Congress, they have each worked hard to raise awareness for increased global vaccine funding. (If you’re looking for inspiration and ideas on how you can get involved, read all about what has inspired these advocates and the diverse ways they’ve been able to spread the message in the recent blog carnival featured on the Shot@Life blog.)
These individual volunteers were critical in directing attention last Thursday when, after detailed planning and flawless execution, the UN Foundation officially launched the Shot@Life campaign at the Georgia Aquarium. Thousands of volunteer advocates, celebrities, medical experts and some of the country’s most influential voices committed themselves that day to the Shot@Life mission. From the Tout videos that were recorded at the launch and the overwhelming number of tweets we received during our three-hour “Celebrate Childhood” Twitter party, it was clear that Shot@Life touches upon a cause that people are extremely passionate about – children’s health.
Devi Ramachandran Thomas, director of the Shot@Life campaign explains,
“More than 100,000 people, including world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes and some of the most influential online moms, are activating their networks across the U.S. and around the world to take action to save and improve the lives of children. From Los Angeles to New York and Seattle to Miami, thousands of Americans are rallying to get life-saving vaccines to children in developing countries who need them most. Their time, their voices, and the money they are raising sends a powerful message that Americans understand the value of vaccines and are ready to rally on behalf of millions of moms and their children worldwide.”
Committed Partners
The fact is that even with increased global immunization rates, one in five children still lacks access to these life-saving immunizations that can protect them from diseases like polio, measles, diarrhea and pneumonia. The solution may sound simple - improve access to vaccines so that 1.5 million children in developing countries can be saved every year. And fortunately, organizations such as UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), are already working to accomplish this monumental task. But now, through the creation of this Shot@Life campaign, this broad group of grassroots advocates, coupled with many dedicated partners, are fully committed to helping mothers and their children in developing countries get a shot at a healthy life.
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter knows about the commitment it takes to improve vaccination rates. Over 20 years ago, she co-founded a national advocacy organization known as Every Child By Two along with Betty Bumpers. Although Every Child By Two was first created to improve childhood immunization rates amidst a measles outbreak in the US, the organization, through their new partnership with Shot@Life, is now actively advocating for childhood vaccines around the world. As one of the prominent speakers in Atlanta last week, Rosalynn Carter helped kick off the Shot@Life campaign by saying,
“Healthy children help create a healthier world for everyone. As we know, germs and diseases don’t need a passport. Expanding access to vaccines strengthens our ability to fight disease globally and keep our families healthy here at home, while saving lives and improving economic stability around the world. I am honored and excited that Every Child By Two has joined forces with Shot@Life to educate Americans and advocate on the importance of childhood vaccines around the world.” Read more…
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