by Kristie Janeway Jernigan BS MHA

Created on: May 23, 2009

Most parents feel very nervous about having to take their infant's or young children to the Pediatrician to get vaccinations. Some of this anxiety comes from the knowledge that the vaccinations are painful to the child and causes the child to become upset. However, with all the recent news media focus on the possibility of vaccinations causing additional harm to children parents are more nervous than ever. Parents are really questioning the safety of these vaccinations to their children. They want to be sure that an infant's system is strong enough to handle the multiple vaccinations that it receives. They want to be sure that their child is not going to have allergies, development or mental delays that are caused by these vaccinations.

Parents concerns about making sure their children are safe are certainly reasonable. No parent wants harm to come to their child and there have been negative side effects associated with some of these vaccines. However, a parent should really consider what could happen to their child if they are unvaccinated. There are so many diseases that can be vaccinated against that really cause a great deal of harm and discomfort to infants and children. Therefore, parents really need to have all of the cards on the table before making such a serious decision.

Diseases like Meningitis can cause physical harm and even death to a child. It is easily contracted by any age child and the symptoms can sometimes mimic other less serious diseases. Depending on the type of Meningitis is can be easily treated but needs to be caught early. However, many parents (unless they are medically trained) may not realize how serious the medical condition is before seeking treatment. Meningitis is not something that a parent wants to see diagnosed in their child. It is very dangerous and can have severe consequences if untreated.

Chicken Pox is another common childhood disease that can be vaccinated against. In the past few years some parents have opted against the vaccination and have exposed their child to the illness. Some parents have even gone as far to have Pox Parties where many different parents bring their children to expose them and hopefully cause the children to come down with the illness. Some children come down with a mild form of the disease and others come down with more severe cases. At the very least Chicken Pox has been known to cause extreme discomfort and even scarring when the sores are scratched by the child. So, a parent should really ask themselves if this is something that they want their child to go through.

Of course, these are only a couple of diseases that can be harmful to children. There are many more diseases that vaccines could protect a child from. The decision about vaccination is ultimately up to the parents to decide. The parents have to weigh the good and bad from both sides. Is it necessary to risk the dangers of having vaccines as opposed to risking the child becoming infected with a disease that could ultimately end up in bodily harm or death?

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