The topic that I chose was immunization.
I think immunization has become a more popular topic over the last
couple of years, regarding the importance of getting your child immunized. There has been a lot of talk about the
controversy of getting children immunized.
“Some parents, however, choose not to vaccinate their children because
they fear vaccines can cause conditions such as autism and asthma” (Adams, 2013). There has been no proof that vaccines
actually lead to autism or asthma. Most
of the speculations come from the fact that the measles, mumps and rubella shot
coincides with the first symptoms of autism.
The book defines immunization as priming “the body’s immune system to
resist a specific contagious disease” (Berger, 2012). Since having specific immunizations available
to people in the United States, there have been a huge prevention rate of
specific diseases. “In 2010, in the
United States, only 61 people had measles, most of them born in nations without
widespread immunization” (Berger, 2012).
Brazil has noticed the need for immunizations in their country, and has
taken action against diseases. “Brazil
has one of the best and most complex immunization programs in the world,
offering vaccines against a range of diseases, free of charge” (Portal da saude, 2012).
More countries have taken a notice as to how vaccinations impact their
survival rates. Without some of these
vaccines there would be a lot more unnecessary deaths that would have taken
place. This information has given me
more definitive answers on where I stand with immunization. There are some immunizations that I think are
crucial for children to get, and there are others where I do not. There are some things that are bodies are
designed to fight, and for me it is okay to be smart about which ones are
necessary and not.
Adams, M. (2013, May 18). The Immunization
Controversy: Should Your Child Be Immunized? Retrieved from Keck Medical
Center of USC: http://www.keckmedicalcenterofusc.org/condition/document/75739
Berger, K. S. (2012). Th Developing Person Through
Childhood. New York: Worth Publishers.
Portal da saude. (2012, October 31). Brazil
maintains 95% vaccination coverage over the last 10 years. Retrieved from
Brasil.gov:
http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2012/10/31/brazil-maintains-95-vaccination-coverage-over-the-last-10-years/newsitem_view?set_language=en
Jessica, thank you for sharing this information. It is wonderful that Brazil has taken the steps that it has by making immunizations free of charge. I know that money can be a large factor in many of the issues of concern addressed this week (such as providing healthy food for better nutrition) so it is great that Brazil has taken this factor out of the equation.
ReplyDeleteBREASTFEEDING
ReplyDeleteTwo important components; nature and nurture, determine how well a child grows and develops. Nutrition is an (maybe the most) important component of nurture as far as a child growth and development is concerned. Breastfeeding is the most important component of neonatal and infant nutrition and also forms an important component of Child Survival Strategies (as proposed by UNICEF). It is a practice that is as old as human existence and has been shown to be beneficial to the mother, child and the family at large. Public health experts form an important part of a multidisciplinary team that helps in the promotion of this vital practice due to their close proximity to communities at the grass roots and because they form an essential part of health policy makers.
Extensive research using improved epidemiologic methods and modern laboratory techniques documents diverse and compelling advantages for infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and use of human milk for infant feeding. These advantages include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic, and environmental benefits.[1] In 1990 the WHO/UNICEF sponsored a meeting of world leaders in Innocenti, Italy to support a unified effort to advance breastfeeding in infancy. This led to the Innocenti Declaration: “As a global goal for optimal maternal and child nutrition, all women should be enabled to practice exclusive breastfeeding and all infants should be exclusively breastfed in the 1st 6 months of life. Thereafter, children should continue to be breastfed while receiving adequate and appropriate complimentary foods for up to 2 years of age and beyond” [2].
In Nigeria, as part of efforts to support breastfeeding, the Baby Friendly Health Initiative is adopted by many health facilities. Mothers are taught about the benefits and principles of breastfeeding starting right from reduced antenatal visits. This has helped a lot in the practice of exclusive breastfeeding.
Practicing of exclusive breastfeeding is vital to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (Goal 5) especially in developing countries. Though faced with many challenges in the developing and developed world, it is paramount that public health experts should find ways of addressing these issues whenever they arise.
Gartner LM, et al. (2005). "Breastfeeding and the use of human milk [policy statement]". Pediatrics 115 (2): 496–506
Riordan, BA; Countryman, BA (Jul-Aug 1980). "Basics of breastfeeding. Part I: Infant feeding patterns past and present". JOGN Nurs. 9 (4): 207–210.
Great work Jessica.In my country,especially in the norther parts,we are facing this problem of whether to immunize the children or not,because of the parents' ignorance of the importance of immunization.This is as a result of abject poverty and stark illiteracy.But my givernment is doing its best to enlighten/educate the people on the importance of immunization to our children.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I think immunizations are important. I remember watching a news broadcast about a mother who was strongly against immunizations because she thought it gave her son Autuism. Thank you for provinding that information. Brazil is doing good offering immunizations for free other countries should do this as well. Also I think they should be mandatory everywhere, this way we can help stop the spread of disease.
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