Shot of Prevention’s Year in Review: Most Popular Posts from 2014
Dec 31, 2014

As we prepare for the challenges of 2015, we want to thank everyone who has contributed to our success in 2014.  Once again, the past year has been one of tremendous growth. We’ve seen a record number of views and shares on a variety of Shot of Prevention blog posts, and we’re especially grateful to our blog contributors and many new subscribers.

In looking back over our efforts from this past year,  we would like to share a list of some of our most popular blog posts from 2014.  We hope that you will revisit these posts and share them with others so that we can continue to engage more people in these important immunization discussions.

1. Our Life Without Emily: Flu, Fear, Guilt and Regret

This blog post was written by Joe Lastinger, Board Member of Families Fighting Flu, who lost his young daughter Emily to flu.  He explains that guilt and regret are often the hidden forces behind a lot of the good that is done in the world.  And he explains the guilt and regret that he feels in his failure to adequately protect his daughter from influenza. To here more about Emily’s story, click here.

2. Mother’s Facebook Updates Detail Son’s Tragic Death

Infants don’t get begin getting immunized against pertussis (whooping cough) until they are two months old.  Prior to that, they remain vulnerable to this highly contagious disease at a time when they’re most fragile. In this post, Kathy shares the story of her son Brady’s battle with pertussis in the same way that she did with her closest friends and family through her Facebook status updates.  This small glimpse into one family’s heartbreak reminds us of how fragile a young life can be, and highlights how important adult pertussis boosters are in preventing pertussis in infants. Read the story for yourself here.

3. Infant Dies at 38 Days But Her Story Tries To Save Lives

After five years and four miscarriages, Katie and Craig Van Tornhout celebrated the birth of their miracle baby, Callie.  But their joy quickly turned to grief when Callie contracted pertussis and lost her life at just 38 days old. This story, which you can read here, talks about Callie’s struggle, but also highlights the important work the Van Tornhouts have done to try to save the lives of other children by advocating for adult Tdap vaccinations in their community and across the country.

4. Measles Outbreaks Are Concerning, Even to the Vaccinated

The U.S. is experiencing a record number of measles cases, with 610 cases in 24 states so far this year. This is the highest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000. This may also explain why our fourth most popular blog post of the year was one that explained why measles outbreaks are concerning even to the vaccinated.  To find out why everyone should be concerned about measles outbreaks, read more here.

5. The Cost of Vaccine Misinformation

Dr. Dorit Reiss is a Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of Law. She has contributed several guest posts throughout the year, utilizing her legal expertise to examine the social policies of immunization. This particular post, which ranked as our fifth most popular blog post of the year, highlights the cost of vaccine misinformation. In this post, Dr. Reiss explores who may be liable when harm occurs as a result of a parent’s decision not to vaccinate – a decision often based on misinformation from a third-party. Read the details of Dr. Reiss’ explanations here.

If you have suggestions for topics you would like us to address in 2015, or you would like to contribute a guest post for publication, please feel free to let us know by commenting below or emailing us at info@vaccinateyourfamily.org.

Please visit our Vaccinate Your Family website, “Like” our Vaccinate Your Family Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter (@vaxyourfam) and Instagram (vaccinateyourfamily).

Thanks again for your continued support and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

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