Immunized or Imperiled
The recent outbreak of pertussis in Washington State has generated a flurry of articles and editorials about vaccination and discussion regarding how to address the unvaccinated population. Parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated intrigue me. I cannot understand why they want to gamble with preventable diseases. However, this is not a tirade about those decisions.
Therefore, the recent news about the pertussis outbreak in Washington State was not so surprising to me. Unfortunately, that statewide epidemic is predicted to result in the highest number of reported cases in decades.4 Moreover, with that epidemic comes the potential risk for myriad sequelae that could have been avoided.
I think we have become somewhat isolated with regard to the ABCDs. The vaccine programs over the past 50 years have fully or nearly eliminated several vaccine-preventable diseases, but we cannot stop there. We must remain ever vigilant in our vaccination practices and encourage vaccination “across the lifespan.” We must endeavor to educate our patients and their parents about the benefits of vaccination and dispel the myths and misunderstandings about immunizations. We must also exercise every opportunity to update the immunizations of all our patients, so that the risk for contracting these diseases is decreased for all of us.
What about you—are your immunizations current? Do you review the vaccination status of your patients during their office visits? How do you counsel the parents who refuse to vaccinate their children? Inquiring minds want to know, so please write to NPEditor@qhc.com.
REFERENCES
1. Mosby’s Medical Dictionary. 8th edition. 2009; Elsevier.
2. Hinman AR, Orenstein WA, Schuchat A. Vaccine-preventable diseases, immunizations, and MMWR—1961–2011 [supplement]. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(4):49-57.
3. CDC. Pertussis (Whooping Cough)–What You Need To Know. www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis.
4. Washington State Department of Health. Whooping cough cases reach epidemic levels in much of Washington [news release 12-038]. April 3, 2012. www.doh.wa.gov.
