Immunization in Head Start
Most of us do not remember the dreaded measles epidemics nor the iron lungs used to treat victims of polio. Many in our generation were fortunate to get the benefits of immunizations, and we remember "getting our shots" as a rite of passage. The administration of immunizations may seem to be a fact of life to us, but it was not always so. Millions of children have died or suffered permanent disabilities from childhood diseases which have now almost disappeared.More recently the hemophilus influenza (Hib) vaccine has greatly decreased the number of children who could develop meningitis and other serious illnesses from that cause. With the chicken pox vaccine (varicella-zoster), we may be on our way to eradicating this disease in the United States.
Despite all this progress, however, we must not become complacent, because our success depends on the continued immunization of our children. By making a concerted effort, it is possible to vaccinate almost all children and to protect entire communities.
From time to time, however, isolated outbreaks of disease point out our weak spots, and serious barriers keep us from reaching our vaccination goal. Among those are a false sense of security
and a belief that childhood diseases have vanished, an insufficient awareness on the part of parents and caretakers of the seriousness of childhood diseases, misinformation about the dangers of vaccines, lack of availability of providers to ad minister vaccines, reduced financial resources in some communities, and finally, the greater complexity of current immunization schedules because more diseases are becoming preventable due to the development of new vaccines.The good news is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Academy of Pediatrics, and the Academy of Family Practice publish a unified recommended immunization schedule, and manufacturers are working on new vaccines which will combine safety with ease of administration and will require fewer injections.
There are several things that each of us in Head Start can do personally to help ensure that all children are protected from infectious diseases:
From its inception, Head Start has placed great emphasis on immunization, and it continues to do so. The Health and Disabilities Services Branch of the Head Start Bureau looks forward to working with all of you as we continue to share information and address the challenges of fully immunizing our children. Through our partnership, we can ensure that they are healthy and safe.
- Use ongoing training to keep up with immunization requirements and assist parents in obtaining immunizations for their children;
- Urge parents to recognize immunization as a long-term investment in the health of their children;
- Encourage communities to collaborate with parents and staff to improve access to immunizations and other health care; and
- Give children the right message about immunization. We should not use the fear of shots as a means of discipline nor threaten shots as a form of punishment. We should also be honest with our children and help them to recognize that it hurts a little to get a shot but explain that it will help prevent illness. A brief explanation which the child can understand before receiving the injection, followed by a big hug or a treat after the injection, will go a long way toward transforming the experience into a positive one.
This issue of the Head Start Bulletin contains examples of successful collaboration in immunization, along with resources and information to assist you in addressing these challenges.