"Vaccinations offer safe and effective protection from a variety of infectious diseases," says Dr. Agnes Alikpala, a pediatrician at St. Luke's Hospital.  "By making sure your children stay up to date on the recommended immunizations, you can protect them from serious, life-threatening illnesses."
 
Alikpala notes that because children are particularly vulnerable to infections, most vaccines are given during the first five to six years of life.  Other immunizations are recommended for adolescents and adults, and certain immunization "booster" shots are recommended throughout life.

With children getting ready to head back to school, August is an ideal time to make sure your children's vaccinations are current.  In fact, August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month, to increase awareness about the importance of immunizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), immunizations have been one of the most significant health achievements of the past century.  Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, eliminated the poliovirus in the United States and significantly reduced the incidence of measles, diphtheria, rubella and pertussis.  Yet tens of thousands of people in the U.S. still die from these and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

"The idea behind vaccination is to obtain immunity to a disease before it has a chance to make you sick," Alikpala explains.  "When 'germs' – such as viruses and bacteria – enter your body and start to reproduce, your body responds by making proteins called antibodies.  These antibodies attack the germs that are making you sick. Then the antibodies remain in your body to guard against future infections from the same germ.  Vaccines are made from the same germs that cause various diseases, but the germs in vaccines are either killed or weakened so they don't make you sick.  Your body reacts to the vaccine by making antibodies that stay in your bloodstream to provide immunity."
The CDC describes 12 potentially serious diseases that can be prevented with vaccines as follows:

• Measles – For most children, measles produces only a rash, fever and a cold.  Measles also can have more serious complications, however, such as ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, deafness, mental retardation or even death.  Measles vaccine is usually given together with mumps and rubella vaccines in a shot called MMR.
• Mumps – The most obvious sign of mumps is swelling of the cheeks and jaw, but children also usually get a fever and headache.  Mumps can have serious complications such as meningitis (inflammation of the cover of the brain and spinal cord) or encephalitis.  Teenage and adult men may also develop a painful swelling of the testicles. In rare cases, mumps can cause deafness or death.
• Rubella (German Measles) – In children, rubella is usually a mild disease, with a slight fever and a rash on the face and neck that lasts two to three days.  Adults who get rubella may get swollen glands in the back of the neck and pain or swelling in their joints.  The greatest danger of rubella is to unborn babies.  If a woman gets rubella in the early months of pregnancy, there is an 80 percent chance her baby will have birth defects.
• Diphtheria – A disease caused by bacteria, diphtheria generally causes a sore throat, slight fever and chills.  If not treated promptly, diphtheria can produce a toxin (poison) that spreads through the body causing serious complications such as heart failure or paralysis.  Diphtheria vaccine protects children by creating immunity to the toxin. The vaccine is usually given in a DTaP vaccine, along with vaccines for pertussis and tetanus.
• Tetanus – Tetanus – or "lockjaw" – enters the body through cuts in the skin, especially deep puncture wounds.  The first symptoms to appear usually include a headache, crankiness and spasms of the jaw muscles.  Tetanus, like diphtheria, also can produce a toxin that spreads through the body, causing muscle spasms in the neck, arms, legs and stomach.  The Tetanus vaccine protects against the toxin produced by tetanus bacteria.
• Pertussis – Known as "whooping cough," pertussis causes a violent cough that forces air from the lungs and causes the victim to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound.  These severe coughing spells can go for weeks, and may cause difficulty with eating, drinking or breathing.  Pertussis can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, convulsions and encephalopathy – a brain disorder.   The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that young adolescents (from age 10 and up) receive a DTaP booster shot, rather than a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster because of the persistence of pertussis in the community.
• Polio – Caused by a virus, polio was once a dreaded childhood disease that killed tens of thousands and left many more paralyzed. Since the polio vaccine became available in 1955, the disease has disappeared in the U.S., but it is still common in some parts of the world.  Because a single infection brought to the U.S. by someone from one of those regions could lead to a renewal of polio epidemics, vaccinations are still given in the U.S.  There is no treatment for polio, only prevention via vaccination.
• >Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) – Hib is a bacterial disease spread through the air.  Even though the word "influenzae" is part of the name, it is not related to influenza (flu), which is caused by viruses. When the bacteria spread into the lungs or bloodstream, it can cause complications such as meningitis, pneumonia, arthritis and inflammation and swelling in the throat.  Most Hib disease occurs in children under the age of 5, and this has been nearly eliminated by universal immunization.
• Hepatitis B – A disease affecting the liver, Hepatitis B is caused by a virus.  "Acute" hepatitis B can produce loss of appetite, fatigue, jaundice (yellow eyes or skin), diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain.  People with "chronic" hepatitis B may suffer serious problems such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood or other body fluids. Newborn babies whose mothers either are infected or have not been tested should get their first shot within 12 hours of birth.
• Chickenpox – One of the most common childhood diseases, chickenpox (varicella) produces an itchy rash all that turns to blisters and scabs.  Serious problems can occur if the blisters become infected, and some children get encephalitis.  The disease also can be very serious in adults.  Until the vaccine for the varicella virus was licensed in 1995, there were about 4 million cases a year in the U.S., but that number is now dropping. This vaccine has also been found to be effective when given immediately after exposure to the disease.
• Hepatitis A – Another viral disease that affects the liver, hepatitis A infects an estimated 125,000 to 200,000 people a year in the U.S, often resulting in chronic liver failure.  Hepatitis A can't be distinguished from other types of hepatitis except by blood testing. It can be contracted through direct contact as well as through ingestion of contaminated food or drink.
• Pneumococcal Disease – This bacterial disease kills more people in the U.S. each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combine.  Often considered a disease of the elderly, it also takes a toll among children. It is the leading cause of meningitis, and about 200 children die from the disease each year.  Because the disease is becoming resistant to treatment with antibiotics, immunization is increasingly important.

In addition to the above vaccines, the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics now also recommend meningococcal vaccination for all children at their routine preadolescent visit (11-12 years of age).  For those who have never received this vaccine previously, a dose is recommended at high school entry as well as for college freshmen living in dormitories.  Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis – an infection of fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.  Meningococcal infections can be treated with drugs such as penicillin, but about ten percent of people who get the disease die from it, which is why prevention through vaccination is so important.

"While these diseases aren't as common as they used to be, they still can lead to serious complications, and even death," says Alikpala.  "Parents who are concerned about their children's well-being should definitely consult a pediatrician to make sure all immunizations are current."

If you need help finding a pediatrician, please call (415) 821-DOCS, or visit our website at www.stlukes-sf.org and click on the link for "Find a Physician."
Back to top