For a little peace of mind... Don't hesitate, vaccinate

Immunization is one of those

By Ann Douglas

Coping with a sick child can be the stuff of which nightmares are made. The overwhelming challenge of trying to determine just how sick your child really is, and monitoring whether or not their illness is serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, or even a rush to emergency, is distressing for any mom or dad. You don't want to hit the panic button each time your child's temperature shoots up a degree or two, nor do you want to overlook the warning signs of a potentially life-threatening illness.

I've had personal experience walking that scary fine line. When my third child was four weeks old, he developed a high fever. Because I had always been told that a fever in young babies can be an indication of serious illness, I took him to the doctor. A few hours later, my baby was being admitted to hospital and a sample of spinal fluid was being removed to determine whether or not he had viral or bacterial meningitis. "Is my baby going to be okay?" I asked the nurse on duty, begging for some sort of reassurance. "I hope so," she said quietly. "I've seen it go either way. You have a very sick baby."

While we cannot eradicate disease from the world, we can, as parents, do a great deal to minimize our children's risk of infection, help them stay healthy and provide ourselves with a little peace of mind. Immunization is one of those "best odds" health strategies that tilt the roulette wheel in our children's favour. It's also one of the more noteworthy health success stories of the last century.

There is no question that immunization has made a huge contribution to improving the world's health. In many cases, it has succeeded in controlling, and even eliminating diseases that once devastated entire populations. Most communicable diseases are spread by coughing, sneezing or by hand-to-mouth contact. For people with reduced immunity, including children, the risk of infection can be serious and even fatal. For example, if a child goes to school with an infectious disease, such as pneumococcal disease, the whole school becomes vulnerable to infection.

Pneumococcal disease is a group of illnesses caused by the common bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcal illnesses include pneumonia, meningitis, blood and ear infections. Pneumococcal disease can be prevented with the vaccine Prevnar®, which is available through government-funded programs in all provinces in Canada except Prince Edward Island. For example, in Ontario, parents are eligible to receive the Prevnar vaccine free of charge for children born on or after January 1, 2004. Vaccination for this disease is highly recommended by paediatricians as certain strains are becoming increasingly antibiotic resistant. Prevnar is the only vaccine that protects infants against this disease and is endorsed by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Canadian Paediatric Society and the Canadian College of Family Physicians. [Pneumococcal FACT SHEET]

If you find it hard to keep track of all the childhood vaccines being recommended by leading health authorities you are in good company. For many parents, the recommended routine immunization schedule can be a little confusing and overwhelming. There are so many vaccines for so many different diseases. Some standard vaccines are covered by all provincial government plans, however, most provinces also cover the cost of newer vaccines such as Prevnar and those to protect against meningococcal meningitis and chickenpox.

Fortunately, my son's story has a happy ending. He was diagnosed with viral meningitis-the less deadly form of meningitis. He didn't have any lasting effects from his illness. He's grown up to be a healthy and happy 13-year-old. I can't imagine what life would have been like without him-and I'm hugely grateful that we didn't have to find out.