Most developed countries have successfully run vaccination programmes in the last 50 years, almost eradicating former killer diseases. This is thanks to parents and health care workers, scientists who always have the safety of their children and patients in focus. Vaccinating them, helps children to fight deadly diseases.
Vaccines contain weakened virus material, triggering a response, creating antibodies and immune information, storing protection for years to come. Vaccination creates natural immunity as a normal response of our immune system, without living through the pain of real illness. Immunisation is safe and has saved millions of lives.
Why than do infections sometimes return? Immunisations work less well when vaccination rates in the community fall below certain levels, the virus survives in patient groups, might be re-imported, protection from vaccines wane over years. We have to remain forever vigilant.
One dragon raising his head is whooping cough with 315 notified cases 2008 in Western Australia (threefold rise since 2007!) This seems small numbers, but the effects of whooping cough can be 6 weeks and longer lasting excruciating cough attacks, strong enough to break ribs and make some kids go blue or even stop breathing. Adults and older children have milder illnesses, which can make outbreaks go undetected. Contacts have a 80 percent chance to get the disease. Babies under 6 months are particularly affected and there have been 16 deaths in this age group and 84000 cases of whooping cough in total between 1993 and 2005 in Australia.
The reason for this is, that whooping cough vaccine only protects for 6-12 years and enough people are missing out on the vaccination during the 1st, 4th and 15th year of age. The message is simple: get your children vaccinated in time , parents planning or just been through pregnancy and even grandparents and health care workers should be re-vaccinated. Geraldton Medical Group and Batavia are just boostering all their medical staff! Babies should be kept away from sick and coughing visitors till the first course of immunisation is completed. It pays to do a pre-pregnancy visit to the GP and to use this opportunity to have rubella and chicken pox status checked as well.
Other vaccine preventable illness worthwhile discussing with your doctor:
- Tetanus
- Mumps Measles Rubella
- Polio
- annual Influenza
- 10 yearly Pneumococcus
- Hepatitis A and B in risk groups
- Cervical Cancer
Which reminds me, that we have to urgently recall this big belly bloke Mr Claus Santa for his travel vaccine check prior the 24th of this month.
Merry Christmas 2008!
Helko Schenk
Sources:
- Special thanks to Marisa Giles (Community Health) and James Quirke (Batavia Health) for facts and ideas.
- “Pertussis in Australia today” Australian Family Physician Vol 36, 1/2007
- www.public.health.wa.gov.au website public health western Australia
- “Disease Watch” 9/2008
- www.immunise.health.gov.au
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