I chose to write about immunizations this week because I feel that there are some misconceptions about the dangers of vaccines. When I was in my Bachelor's program at Walden we were required to take a class in which the bulk of the work was a group project. The majority of the members of my group were public health nurses and we chose to research immunization. We looked at several aspects such as the importance of herd immunity, the rights and responsibilities of the government, the concerns of parents, and the myths of damage caused by vaccines. We created a mock blog which has a minimal amount of information but highlights the major headlines of what we had researched and were considering. There are 2 full posts in which you can read about Parental Refusal to Vaccinate and our Literary Review of the Importance of Immunization. Through this research many of the ideas I had about the dangers of vaccinating were dispelled.
I reviewed what immunization looks like in New Zealand because I feel that they are a model for the early education community. I was curious if they had any similarities to the United States when it comes to immunization. It turns out they have many similarities. The first of which is their immunization schedule. You can see that it has many similarities to the US schedule in both timing and types of vaccinations recommended. 
It turns out that much like in the US immunization is not REQUIRED in New Zealand for school entry or enrollment in child care. However, it is strongly encouraged and it seems many parents have the misconception that vaccination is mandatory. What is required is an "Immunisation Certificate" for the purpose of identifying children who could be at risk in the event of a breakout of an immunizable disease. 
I am not sure that any of the public health concerns, we researched this week, will affect my work directly. Since I do not have any direct contact with children or families these types of issues are not for me to address. However, I will continue to provide information to the ECE professionals I work with so they can share that information with families.
Nice post Wendy! When we travel to Sudan, we need to get a vaccine against Malaria, and every time we have trouble finding the vaccine.
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Hi I enjoyed your blog. I like the comparison you did with New Zealand. Here its mandatory there its optional for a child to receive vaccines. Although I think it makes a lot of since to keep our children health but I think we should have an option also.
ReplyDeleteI want to honestly thank you for posting this information because this is information that I truly need to read at this point in time with my due date rapidly approaching, and I have no idea what vaccines she should get and what she shouldn't!
ReplyDeleteThis post is very informative. Parents need to be educated about the options to vaccinate and why they are needed. The comparison between New Zealand and US is shocking. The immunization schedule is very similar.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about Immunizations. It is up to us as educators to educate the parents and communities about the pros of immunizations.
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