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 The study indicated that “smallpox immunization was gradually withdrawn from the 1950s to the 1970s following the worldwide eradication of the disease, and HIV has been spreading exponentially since approximately the same time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 January 15, 2011, 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.
That is a very nice gesture "keeping your classroom germ free", I know I would love it if my child's school had that policy. I hate it when parents send kids to school sick to get other kids sick, just like i hate it when employees come sick to make getting the rest of us sick so that they cab make that extra dollar! :0) Again i think that's a very good idea.
ReplyDeleteImmunizations are extremely important not only to one's health but everyone around them. I know in some cases due to cultural beliefs or health reasons some children cane not receive all the vaccines available to them. Your idea of a "germ free classroom" would work well for those students as well.
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