Released August 7, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Diseases such as diphtheria and measles that could cause blindness or even death in children, are reaching record-low levels thanks to vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"However, parents should not take this as a sign not to vaccinate their children," Margaret Harris, extension health specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said. "These vaccinations are what is keeping those serious diseases at bay."
Vaccinating school-aged children is also the law. The Arkansas State Board of Health requires that "No child (kindergarten through grade 12) shall be admitted to a public or private school in Arkansas who has not been age-appropriately immunized."
Required immunizations include the following:
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenzae type B
- Hepatitis B
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Poliomyelitis
- Rubella (German measles)
- Rubeola (red measles)
- Tetanus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Parents or guardians may provide proof of vaccination - including information on vaccine type and dates of administration - in one of the following forms:
- Certificate by a licensed physician
- Certificate from a public health department
- Certificate from a military service
- Official record from another educational institution in Arkansas
"Immunizations have protected millions and saved the lives of thousands of children," said Harris.
Background about some of the diseases
Diphtheria used to be a major cause of childhood illness. In the 1920s, 150,000 children contracted diphtheria, and about 15,000 children died.
Measles is a highly contagious virus with complications including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and death. Measles is the leading cause of blindness in children in Africa and kills approximately one million children each year worldwide.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is highly contagious. Infants are most at risk for severe complications such as apnea, bacterial pneumonia, seizures, encephalopathy and death.
Polio is highly infectious, attacks the nervous system and caused severe illness in thousands until Dr. Jonas Salk introduced the vaccine was introduced in 1955.
Rubella, also known as German measles, tends to be a mild disease. However, a pregnant woman who contracts rubella has an 80 percent chance that her baby will be born deaf or blind, with a damaged heart or brain.
If parents needed an additional incentive to vaccinate, Harris said the diseases still exist and in at least one case, are returning.
"Pertussis in particular is a major public health problem, making a comeback since the 1980s," she said. "The Centers for Disease Control reported more than 10,000 cases in 2007, with 10 deaths nationwide."
For more information about childhood immunizations, you may wish to visit the websites of the Arkansas Department of Health or the Centers for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/. --30—
http://www.uaex.edu/news/august2009/0807immunize.htm
Editor: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
