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Community Corner

Moms Talk: A Few Words on Immunizations

It's tough taking your child to the doctor to get a shot. When it comes to immunizations, it's vital.

In the ‘50s, The Saturday Evening Post ran the Norman Rockwell classic, Before the Shot as its cover. It’s a scene of a boy in the pediatrician’s office awaiting his immunization shot.

That image with a few changes gets replayed every day in every pediatrician’s office across America. We teared up as we took our oblivious infant in for her first shots. Dr. Melvin Stern, our pediatrician, affectionately known as "Uncle Mel," told me that shots are always harder on parents than on children.

Tough as that milestone event is on a parent, it’s also vital. My son Ryan was born in 1988, and nearly died from spinal meningitis. I spent 10 days sleeping in a chair next to his crib at Holy Cross Hospital, in a room directly across from the nurses’ station. I was told later we were put in that room because of how dire Ryan’s case was. He came home on his first birthday, and has suffered no residual detriment. Deafness is a common after effect of meningitis. I’m a lucky parent. Now, a vaccine is available.

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  • Immunizations Prevent Death. While there have been problems with vaccines over the years, they prevent diseases that killed and maimed many people throughout history including polio and diphtheria.
  • Take Charge of the Child’s Health. Parents have grown complacent with vaccines, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Whooping cough and measles cases are on the rise in the United States because parents fail to immunize their children.
  • School Requirements. Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene publishes a schedule of the vaccines school-age children must receive for the current school year. If you have a doubt about what your child needs or if you are new to the area, check out the schedule.
  • Stay on Schedule. Those initial immunizations are designed to work with the infant’s natural immune system.
  • Side Effects. Soreness or redness where the shot was given are common. The child may also come down with a fever, experience vomiting and seem lethargic. The side effects last about three days.
  • Records. It’s up to the parent to keep track of the child’s immunization schedule. You may move, switch doctors and the like, and records may disappear. Your child will need these records throughout his life, so even if your pediatrician fills out school paperwork and the like, keep a copy of shots and dates in your home files. Here’s a printable form that allows you to keep track.

Below are some resources regarding childhood immunization:

Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

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 The Center for Disease Control 

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