First it was the bird flu, then Ebola, and this year the measles. The initial outbreak took place in the happiest place on earth—Disneyland and has quickly spread from California, New York, to other parts of the world. This has been the biggest outbreak in decades, about 20,000 cases reported so far, including 50 deaths.
The CDC recommends that all children receive two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, the first at 12-15 months old and the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. Most schools do not admit children without the vaccine in order to prevent the disease spreading to other children. Yet, so many young children and adults aren’t vaccinated.
Why Are People So Afraid of Vaccines?
If you could get a vaccine that could prevent a contagious disease or possibly death, why wouldn’t you? The MMR vaccine can protect you against the measles, mumps, and rubella and while there have been reports of this vaccine causing autism in children, that’s false. In the U.S., vaccinations are state laws, not federal. Most schools require a physical and immunizations prior to the first day of school for children entering pre-school and kindergarten in order to prevent disease from spreading to large groups of people.
Some of the fears are from the lack of education. Especially among new parents who don’t know about state laws requiring everyone to be vaccinated. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) makes sure that these vaccines go through many clinical trials and lots of research is done prior to releasing it to the public. So, these vaccines are very safe and not dangerous to your health at all.
Let’s get vaccinated!
Let’s Get Vaccinated is a program by the National Hispanic Council of Aging that works to improve the lives of older Hispanic adults, their families, and caregivers. This is a community-based program that educates the Hispanic community about the importance of vaccinations, answering their questions in their own language.
There is a misconception among older adults that vaccinations are only for children. The numbers show that Hispanics are less likely to get vaccinated that other ethnic groups and this is due to lack of healthcare and education. Even though now healthcare options are available through Obama Care. Vaccinations are an important step to help prevent the spread of disease, so don’t be afraid and get vaccinated for your own health.