Vaccines: Not just for Kids!

As National Infant Immunization Week wrapped in April, I couldn’t help but wonder how many parents thought about their immunizations.

Did you know that another way to protect your child was to be sure your Tdap – which stand for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) – vaccine  is up to date? That’s right! Parents need vaccines, too! Why? It’s important to vaccinate the whole family because anyone can be carriers of the disease and expose our children.

Parents should get vaccinated with Tdap every 5 to 10 years to protect themselves and their children against these diseases. Women who are planning to get pregnant can get vaccinated right before pregnancy or right after birth to protect their new babies.

Not only did my husband and I both get our Tdap boosters, but we insisted that our child care providers be vaccinated, too.

Yes, it was important to me that they follow her schedule – we worked hard to get on the sleep schedule. Yes, it was important that the center be clean, well lit, ventilated, and developmentally appropriate for my baby. Thankfully, we got all that.

I wanted to know, that the staff members caring for my yet-to-be-fully immunized baby were vaccinated. I’m glad to say we got that too!

Whooping cough is making a come back. Cases of pertussis have steadily risen since the 1980s, and in 2008 there were more than 13,000 cases of whooping cough, 18 of which were fatal. According to a 2003 study published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, tragically, 90% of pertussis-associated deaths have been among babies less than a year old.

Babies less than 6 months old are particularity vulnerable because they cannot be fully immunized for pertussis until they are four years old. In fact half of the babies with pertussis are infected by their parents.

Immunization coverage is not just for kids! Parents, get your Tdap booster and encourage your expectant friends, first-time grandparents, and care givers to be sure they have their too!

Guest Mom Dana: Why I Vaccinate My Kids

Welcome to guest mom blogger Dana Lauren Berry.

Dana is a mom to Connor (age 2 ½) and Lawson (3 months) also works as a freelance writer for several local magazines in the Denver area, and as a publicist. Previously, she worked in health care public relations for nearly five years, working closely with doctors at University of Colorado Hospital/CU-Health Sciences Center and with Centura Health. Berry’s husband, John, is a broker/owner of a boutique real estate firm, Colorado Luxury Realty. The family of four live in Centennial.

To me the question “why do I vaccinate my kids?” is a no-brainer. “Why wouldn’t I?” is the answer I really want to give. I actually don’t understand why anyone has doubts about getting their child vaccinated, or why anyone who is a mom and who wants to keep their children protected would even give it a second thought.

I remember when my oldest son was a baby, watching a very heartfelt episode of House M.D.  on TV. In this particular episode,  it involved a mom with a very sick child, who ended up having the measles. He contracted the measles because the mom did not believe in vaccines, and while on a trip to a foreign country the child came down with the virus. The child ended up dying from an illness that would have been preventable, had he simply received the MMR vaccine. The mom felt such guilt knowing that because of her decision not to vaccinate, her son had died.

This episode stuck with me, because my family loves to travel, and I realize that in many countries some diseases, which may be extremely rare in the U.S., are still quite prevalent. We have been to Mexico, Canada, Peru, London and Paris, and plan on taking our children with us on our foreign excursions in the future. We also regularly travel to the East Coast, since I am from Connecticut; and as recently as last fall, there was a mumps outbreak back-east, linked to a child from the United Kingdom.

If people don’t think illnesses like measles or mumps are a big deal, read about potential side effects, such as infertility. I’d say that is a big deal! This is just one of the many reasons why I feel it is extremely important, and not even questionable, that my children receive all of their vaccines.

Also, I realize that vaccines are not offered until they have undergone extensive, thorough and highly scientific research and testing. I know that when a vaccine is readily available, it is made available because there is scientific proof providing evidence that it is effective, and therefore, worthy of receiving. I feel that in life, you have to go to the experts for advice, and you have to accept their opinion as just that: expert. I trust the expert opinions of the CDC, NIH and the Colorado Health Department when they advise my child (or me) receive a specific vaccine.

I do not take the health of my children lightly and I am grateful when there is a new vaccine offered to further protect my children. Healthy children are something I am beyond grateful for, and any step I can take to improve their health or their life—such as a simple vaccine—I will gladly take.

Guest Dad Josh: Vaccination, Against All Odds

Welcome our first guest Dad post! Thank you to Josh for lending his voice to this issue and being one awesome father.

Josh Tyson lives in Denver with his wife, Nicole, and their sons, Elias and Arius. He chronicles the media they (cautiously) share with their boys at thekidsarewatching.com and is a member of New Age Dad, the nation’s premier rock band of dads, toddlers, babies and dogs. Josh is a regular contributor to the New York Times’ Motherlode blog and is currently working on some children’s books.

My wife and I have always been skeptical of the classic American approach to well being. We don’t pop pain tablets when we have headaches and when we have colds we drink heaps of herbal tea in lieu of narcotic syrups. I sincerely doubt that either of us will ever experiment with antidepressants and putting one of our kids on something like Ritalin is out of the question.

Nicole pushed both of our boys into this world without meds and started breastfeeding them right away. We didn’t have them circumcised and weren’t thrilled about subjecting them to a battery of needles in the first few years of their lives.
In the months leading up to the birth of our first, the hasty conspiracy theorist in me was tempted to write off vaccination as another shortsighted way for Big Medicine to line their pockets, but the more research we did, the more confident we became that vaccination was the best choice for our family.

Nicole has a cousin with severe autism, so the concerns posed by famous people and concerned parents out of the limelight were not taken lightly. In the end, however, we decided that there wasn’t significant evidence to link vaccines to autism and that the risks of not vaccinating were far greater than the minimal risks posed by the catalog of recommended vaccines.

We also took into account that we want to travel with our boys, and there are plenty of global destinations we are interested in where diseases like polio haven’t been totally eradicated. Then there was the issue of civic duty. A big part of the reason that vaccines have been so effective in keeping the populace here free of nasty things like measles and mumps is that the vast majority of us are vaccinated against them.

What sealed the deal for us was the fact that every doctor we talked to had vaccinated their kids, or planned to when they had them. Out skepticism of certain elements of western medicine has always been taken with a grain of salt—namely that we aren’t doctors and what we know about the inner-workings of human body is scant compared with somebody who has trudged through eight years of medical school.

So while we’ll continue to keep our medicine cabinets bare, we’ll do so with extra piece of mind.

SOUP! a Delicious Success

For over a decade, the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition (CCIC) has worked to increase childhood immunization and as a way of thanking its partners and supporters, the nonprofit hosted its third annual SOUP! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) fundraising event April 27.

Colorado Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien accepted CCIC’s highest honor, the 2010 Big Shot of the Year award, for her dedication to creating healthy changes for Colorado’s children.

The event held at the Cable Center raised funds and treated guests to samples of soup from ten of Denver’s premier restaurants: Coral Room, Dazzle, Il Posto, Jax, Le Central, Lola, Red Tango, Root Down, Sushi Hai and Table 6. Guests voted for their favorite soups; Root Down walked away with the Best Soup award and Lola was awarded Most Creative Soup.

CCIC Executive Director Lydia McCoy was grateful for the community’s support in furthering CCIC’s mission to increase childhood immunization rates and awareness. “The strength of our Coalition lies in our members, community partners and advocates. We engage our supporters in all that we do, and their participation is invaluable to our success.”

Root Down with thier Best Soup award

The evening celebration drew 188 guests which included Colorado’s pediatricians, physicians, nurses, educators, legislators and public-health experts and raised $21,000 to fund CCIC’s programs.
Among those who enjoyed fine food and networking were Presenting Sponsors Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado’s Jo Palmer and Colorado Capital Bank’s Amanda Fein. Dr. Robert Brayden spoke about the progress of vaccines, and CCIC board member Dr. James Shira presented Lt. Gov. O’Brien with the 2010 Big Shot of the Year award. Also in attendance were past Big Shot of the Year award recipients CDPHE Medical Director Dr. Ned Calonge and Dr. James Todd.

Read the fun tweets from the event and see more photos on our Facebook Fan Page.

Fabulous blogger friends Suzanne Bastien, Russ Dale and Laura Neiman. Courtesy of Suzanne Bastien

Lt Gov Barbara O'Brien accepting her Big Shot of the Year Award. Photo by Suzanne Bastien

Special Invitation To A Tasty Evening

The Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition invites YOU — the moms, dads, doctors, health care professionals and community members who champion for childhood immunizations — to join us at our 3rd annual SOUP! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) event on Tuesday, April 27.

This fun, heartwarming event will raise funds and awareness for childhood immunizations and give guests a chance to sample soup, wine, beer and desserts from some of Denver’s finest restaurants. For busy moms, dads and professionals, SOUP! is a night away from it all – the perfect opportunity to celebrate your choice to keep Colorado’s kids healthy, sample delicious food and enjoy great company!

At CCIC, we think it is incredibly important to speak up for your belief and your choice to vaccinate your children. A recent national survey shows that 88% of parents vaccinate their children and according to a statewide survey 79% of Colorado parents vaccinate their children. The majority of parents do give their children the gift of immunization. That is certainly something to celebrate!

In today’s world of social media and online forums, it can be intimidating and hard to speak up for your choice. CCIC is fortunate to be part of a community of moms who support and believe in the benefits of vaccination. Our favorite mommy bloggers share their daily joys, challenges and even their personal decisions with readers and followers from across the globe. They inspire readers through their honest, humorous parenting stories, and assure other parents that immunization is the best choice for kids’ health. You can read about their personal experiences with childhood vaccination, including the tears, concerns and triumphs here:

• Casual Perfectionist – “There is No Vaccine for Fear, and it’s Contagious“
• Lalagirl – “Vaccines Prevent Diseases”
• Loose Grip – “The Necessary Evils of Vaccines (And when I say evil, I mean THANK YOU)”
• Paren(t)hesis – “Sick Baby (and Why You Should Vaccinate)“

Thanks to our community of immunization supporters, we are nurturing healthy, happy children who will not have to experience the horrible, disfiguring, and sometimes fatal diseases of generations past. Join CCIC in celebrating our efforts and accomplishments, and reward yourself for making the healthiest choice for Colorado’s children.

For more information about SOUP! or to purchase tickets, visit www.childrensimmunization.org/soup

Aluminum: Something to Worry About?

Aluminum in vaccines has been a hot topic ever since Dr. Bob Sears published his delayed vaccine schedule. I don’t think aluminum is a concern because I’ve looked at the total amount in vaccines. I got the numbers for this vlog from the aluminum information page at the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (BTW I love them so much, they are an outstanding source for all sorts of useful and timely information on vaccines)

Don’t forget to share this video with any other moms you think might want to learn more about aluminum.

Do you think the risk of disease far out-weighs the risk of aluminum exposure? I want to hear what you think!

Guest Mom Laura: Never Losing a Child to a Preventable Disease

A few times a month Colorado Mom2Mom will feature a guest post from another Colorado parent who shares the same fears as you, has personal stories to tell and chooses to vaccinate their children. I hope that these different perspectives will help you feel confident in your choice to vaccinate your child. If you are a Colorado parent who wants to write a post email us!

Welcome our very first Guest Mom – Laura!

Laura, also known as LaLaGirl, is the mother of a crazy teenager and two sets of elementary school-age twins. She’s happily married, loves living in Colorado, and writes almost daily about married life, raising multiples, and parenting a child with autism. Although she’s a stay-at-home mom, she feels that the title is a bit misleading, as she seems to spend most of her time in the car. When she isn’t driving children to various play dates and activities, Laura spends a great deal of time doing laundry, stepping on wayward Legos, and sharing stories about her life at lalagirl.org.

The obituary was short – just one small paragraph, summing up the tragic, yet all-too-common death of an innocent child.

Carl Nelson, 2 ½-year-old son of  Mr. and Mrs. Nels Nelson of Ridgefield, passed away Tuesday night from the effects of that dread disease, diphtheria.

The year was 1918, and Carl Nelson was my grandfather’s baby brother. I never knew much about him until I happened to stumble upon my grandfather’s baby book. I found one handwritten sheet of paper, listing baby Carl’s vital statistics and the details of his tragic death.

Even more heartbreaking was the poem my great grandmother wrote in his memory. It begins,

We watched our darling boy, through the nights, until the early dawn. He closed his eyes, but to wake in a brighter morn.

I was overwhelmed by the fresh pain I felt, reading the words written in her flowery, font-like cursive nearly a century ago. These aren’t the words of some long-gone matriarch, present only in faded black and white photographs. These are the words of a grieving mother, someone my own age, who lost her precious child.

Thankfully, few of us will ever have to imagine the pain of losing a child to a disease like diphtheria. Thanks to the DPT (Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus) vaccination, diphtheria has been virtually eradicated from our country.

Imagine a century ago, if families could somehow catch a glimpse of the future and know that through the miracles of modern science, vaccinations would one day wipe out many childhood diseases. It’s akin to us imagining our future generations living in a world free from cancer, STDs and obesity.

Realizing how far we’ve come in less than a century makes it that much harder for me to understand the new trend of parents refusing to vaccinate their children. It’s hard to even get my head around the idea that diseases such as small pox, polio, measles, and whooping cough are on the rise in our country – after they’d been eliminated for decades!

Now the question seems to be, how do we undo all the fear and misinformation and reassure a nation of freaked out parents? I’m not sure what the answer is. The results of the original study that showed a link between autism and the MMR shot have already been officially retracted. But how far will that go with uneasy parents?

As the mom of an autistic child, I faced these same fears myself. I’ll admit that I thought long and hard before giving my younger children the MMR vaccine, but after reading up on every bit of information I could get my hands on, I decided it was in my children’s best interests to get vaccinated.

Really, I think that’s all any of us parents can do – educate ourselves as best we can and be thankful we live in an age where we don’t have to worry about losing our children to preventable diseases the way our ancestors did.

{PS Also check out Laura’s great vlog on “Is Autism Caused by Vaccinations?”}

Why We Vaccinate

Do you think vaccines are important to the health and well-being of our community?

Getting the Chickenpoxs is Not Cool, Trendy or Fun

My six-year-old daughter was invited to a friend’s birthday party recently. It was an ambitious party plan of going to a performance at our local children’s theater. I think the mom probably deserves a medal for herding 10 bubbling kindergarteners.

A week before the party the hosting mom called to ask if my daughter had been vaccinated for chickenpox. I said “yes” and asked why. She told me that another child’s mother called and said that her son had been exposed to the chickenpox and wanted other children who plan to attend the party to know this.

What scared me about this was that the boy’s mom wasn’t calling to see if it was okay if he still go to the party, but instead she was calling only to inform others that her son would possibly be infectious.

In retelling this story to my husband he pointed out that the mom was being responsible by calling to let people know about the situation. The more I thought about it, if I were the hosting mom, would have taken a different path.

If this had happened to me, I would have gently told the mom that her son should not attend the party because he had the potential of infecting other children. I would gently and kindly remind her that we were going to a theater with the potential of interacting with 400 other children and adults that he could infect. I’d set-up a play date for a few weeks in the future (past the infectious period) and have my child celebrate with him at a separate time. It would be a hard conversation, but something I know is the right thing to do.

Sometimes parents don’t fully understand the potential of the diseases we protect against. Some parents don’t see the bigger picture. They often don’t see that their actions have bigger implications of spreading disease to healthy kids or even vulnerable populations like pregnant moms.

I think parents are too complacent about chickenpox. Lots of parents think it’s a minor disease and even a “rite of passage” for kids to be sick for a week. For most children who get the disease it is mild but for about 1 in 10 unvaccinated children who get the disease will have a complication from chickenpox serious enough to visit a health-care provider. Chickenpox is highly contagious and dangerous for kids and pregnant women. We cannot predict who will have a mild case of the disease, who may end up hospitalized or who could end up with a deadly case.

We know the vaccine is effective. Did you see the January 2010 Kaiser Permanente study about the risks of skipping the chickenpox vaccine? Children who are not vaccinated against chickenpox are NINE times more likely to get the disease. By not vaccinating you are placing your child at a greater risk for disease.

It scares me but chickenpox parties are back. Chickenpox parties are when an infected child’s family invites their friends over to be exposed to the disease. This was a very common practice before we had the very safe and effective chickenpox vaccine. Today, some parents still want their children to be naturally exposed to the disease. Some mothers think they are doing a favor by exposing my child. I say “No thank you!”

The idea of a pox party freaks me out. It seems very strange that you would intentionally infect your child with a disease. It’s like “Hey I have mono! Wanna make out? Or here’s my used Kleenex in case you wanted my sinus infection!” Sharing a hug or toys on a playground is one thing…intentionally sharing your infectious disease is quite another. It is irresponsible.

What about you? What’s your RSVP status on pox parties? Is your kiddo going to the party?

Taking the “ouch” out of vaccines

I must admit, getting their shots is not my kids’ idea of a good time. No matter how much park time we had before, no matter what promises of tasty treats would be bestowed upon them after, it just isn’t appealing.

But I have been able to make it more tolerable by making it a game and telling them how important it is for their health.

I will tell my girls, “We are going for our pokes today! Remember how we get a poke in our arm or leg and it stings for a bit but it helps protect us from icky germs and bad things?” Then I take my finger and give their arm a little poke. They giggle and we’re both more prepared for the shot.

My oldest, Claire, was a champ from the beginning. Even as an infant she surprised me by stoically accepting her fate, looking the nurse straight in the eye as she drew the vaccine into the needle. She also amazed me at how quickly and easily she was comforted and calmed afterwards.

The secret to my success? I empowered her with the knowledge of what to expect during the shot, and the information she needed to feel in control.

When her little sister came along, Claire was in the role of the “big sister” and REALLY found purpose. She helps me by explaining to her little sister, Grace, what “pokes” are and why they are necessary. She even goes as far as volunteering to go first just to prove it wasn’t that bad and that she wasn’t afraid.

Now Grace, well…I haven’t been that lucky. Even with practicing “pokes” on her stuffed animals, watching her older sister not shed a tear, and being promised full sugar snacks in the car, this one didn’t buy it. She hides, refuses, goes for the door, and screams “NO!” I’ve even tried giving her a pain reliever and fever reducer before the shot to prevent discomfort, but that had little effect.

So I went in search of information to see what I could do to ease both the anxiety and the pain of a “poke.” Here’s what I learned can help:

• Nursing - Allowing a baby to suckle the breast, bottle or pacifier can help manage pain as well as be a distraction.
• Take a Deep Breath – The best thing you can do for your baby is stay calm before and during the doctor appointment. Babies can pick up on your stress and get scared. During the shot, distract your baby with cooing, touching and smiling. By you being a strong, happy parent your baby will reflect your mood.
• Pain Relievers – There has been some controversy on whether pain relievers can diminish the effectiveness of vaccines, so ask your doctor before your vaccine visit if they recommend giving pain relievers.
• Order in which vaccines are administered – It is suggested in studies that the less painful shot be given first. Studies have found that this should be Diphtheria, polio, pertussis, tenanus (Dtap) and haemophilus (HIB) before the vaccine for pneumococcal.
• Play – Children use play to understand situations, encourage them to take a favorite stuffed animal or doll so they can “practice” giving a shot. Point out how well the animal does in sitting still and getting a band-aid.
• Sibling Power – Enlisting an older sibling to go first and show how getting a shot “should be done.” Of course, this only works if you have a brave kiddo – a screaming big sis will probably scare the little one a bit.
• Give a Little Cough – For older children (or adults for that matter), have them give a strong cough right when shot is being inserted. Researchers don’t know if it’s just a simple distraction or actually reduces pain, but it’s seems effective.

Check out this great resource for things to consider before during and after the immunization visit.

I’m curious, what have you found works to keep your kid calm? Does your screaming baby make you not want to vaccinate?