Vaccinations – Forget the Fears and Protect your Pets and Children
Scary headlines abound in recent years and, as a mother, the ones that bother me the most are for things preventable such as measles, whooping cough and rabies.
The most recent article I saw that caused a little shiver of fear was about measles, for two reasons: 1) this formerly common disease that eliminated in the US due to regular childhood preventative vaccination is back on the rise with over 500 cases this summer; and 2) because measles had not been seen for more than 25 years, younger physicians who have not been trained to recognize and treatment is then often delayed by incorrect diagnosis.Good research has shown that the originating article advocating that vaccinations in children could cause autism was false, but what’s been missing is the avocation in support of the proper use of vaccinations in humans and in pets to save lives.
Vaccinations have led to significant protection of human and animal health – would you want to go back to life without vaccinations? We don’t have to look far for what that would be like based on what is occurring in the rest of the world. A few facts:
1. More than 55,000 people die of rabies annually and more than 15 million go through a post-exposure vaccination series to prevent disease. Dog bites are the source of the majority of these cases.
2. Measles present as more than 20 million cases worldwide and at least 164,000 deaths annually – more than half of those cases are in India.
3. Parvovirus affecting dogs – it’s a backyard disease. We have literally had new puppies acquire parvo from ill unvaccinated neighbors.
Rabies is a virus that we will never be able to eradicate due to reservoirs in wildlife, but it is one that is entirely preventable by vaccinating our companion cats and dogs. Measles, mumps and rubella are entirely preventable by vaccinating our children.
Amy Parker, a dedicated blogger, rightly says, “And lastly but most importantly for me – knowingly exposing your child to childhood illnesses is cruel; even without complications these diseases aren’t exactly pleasant. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy watching children suffer even with a cold or a hurt knee.” (Read her full blog article on suffering from lack of vaccinations at http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/growing-up-unvaccinated/).
The same goes from the veterinary perspective – proper vaccinations save lives and prevent suffering for the great majority of pets. And, while no one can predict or entirely prevent reactions to vaccines, the rate of complications from vaccinations for both people and animals is low and, most often, limited and mild.
Ask your pediatrician and veterinarian to review vaccinations needed for your children in contrast to the disease/s clinical impact – and you should also be able to tailor for the lifestyle risks for your children and pets to offer the most reasonable protection plan.
Dr. Margot can be reached at parkhillvet.com. For more information on pet therapy programs and/or participating in such with your pet, visit www.petpartners.org