Immunization is “A process that stimulates the body’s immune system to defend against attack by a particular contagious disease” (Berger, K.S. 2009).
Immunizations can protect children from vulnerable diseases. Immunization is important to me because as a premature baby I have a very low immune system. Due to low iron and calcium, my mother would always take me to my routine checkups so that I could receive my vaccination shots. I think that it is very important for parents to keep their children vaccinations up to date because it’s a defense mechanism against all types of airborne diseases.
I chose to talk about the vaccinations in Africa. Researchers suggested that “the end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century may have caused a loss of protection that contributed to the rapid contemporary spread of HIV” (BioMed Central, 2010, May 18). The study indicated that “smallpox immunization was gradually withdrawn from the 1950s to the 1970s following the worldwide eradication of the disease, and HIV has been spreading exponentially since approximately the same time period” (BioMed Central, 2010, May 18). I found this article to be very interesting because prior immunization with vaccine virus may provide an individual with some degree of protection to subsequent HIV infection or any other airborne diseases.
The information that I have learned about immunization will impact my future work because I will work with children and their families to ensure that parents keep their children vaccinations current. There will be some children in the classroom with low immune systems that would be vulnerable to any sickness that may spread throughout the classroom from other students. I will make sure that all children utilize hand sanitizer to fight off bacteria and germs. Those who are sick will be sent home until their parents provide a doctor’s release. I will make my classroom a very germ-free environment so that children can comfortably learn.
Resources:
BioMed Central (2010, May 18). Did the end of smallpox vaccination cause the explosive spread of HIV?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/05/100517204405.htm
Berger, K.S. (2009). The developing person through childhood
(5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
(5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Nequiatuia,
ReplyDeleteThat was very intersting to here that stopping the small pox vaccination caused the explosive spread of HIV. I never heard that before, I wonder, now that they know that do they now give the vaccination out to prevent more people from getting the disease.
Nequiatuia,
ReplyDeleteYour name looks beautiful, I wish I can hear how it is pronounced. I wanted to share that I relate to your story being a premie. I will be 45 next June and I really do not know the exact circumstances of how my birth happened but I do know that I was only 1.5 lbs when I was born and stayed in the hospital for 9 months and then placed in foster care for 2 months before I was adopted. Your research on Great Britain was really interesting, thanks for sharing.
Kathy Miller
Nequiatuia,
ReplyDeleteI agree that immunizations are a plus to have, especially when you are working around lots of germs. I am constantly telling my students to wash their hands. Bleach water has become a staple in our classroom so that we can try to stay healthy.
Just a word of caution: When talking to parents about their child's immunizations, make sure you know about their beliefs about the topic. I had a child last year whose family did not believe in getting vaccinations. They had to have a waiver signed by their doctor in order for her to enter school.
I too found that fact about the discontinuing of the small pox vaccination led to more HIV cases in Africa.