Immunization

Well, this is a scary topic to tackle.  There is a lot currently going on about immunization here in the U.S.  I chose this topic because I know how lucky we are to have access to this kind of care, but also that we have a choice to have this access.  When my dad was in first grade he caught Scarlet Fever.  He was so sick, and he still shows some side effects of having this disease at such a young age.  Years and years ago Scarlet Fever was  a death sentence.  My dad was 6. He may have died.  Luckily my grandmother had access to the proper medical care for him, even though he had not been vaccinated against the disease.

When I was little the chicken pox vaccine was just becoming more common to administer.  I however, got chicken pox.  It was something that ran  through my daycare center.  I also gave the chicken pox to my dad (whoops), because he had not been vaccinated, but had not had chicken pox when he was young.  Now my own students are required to be vaccinated before they can come to school.  It is a requirement.  I believe that it is important for my students to be vaccinated because they are around other children. 

Since last week I looked into what it was like to give birth in Haiti, I chose to continue looking at Haiti to learn about vaccinations there.  Vaccinations are not readily available for everyone in Haiti.  One thing about the vaccinations that really caught my eye was that in 2018 there had been a plan to vaccinate around 2.3 million children for the disease of Diphtheria. 

The reason this interested me was because every year I read the story of Balto with my children.  The story of Balto is a true story that took place in the 1920's in Alaska.  Diphtheria began running through the town of Nome.  Balto ran with his sled team in order to get the vaccination to save children in the town.  Now the reason I bring this up is because it happened in the 1920s.  My dad got Scarlet Fever in the 1960s, and I got the chicken pox in the early 1990s.  Medical sciences have made large strides in the field of vaccinations.  So this is my question:
Why is it more difficult to get vaccinations in Haiti and other countries around the world?

There are also calls to vaccinate against diseases such as Polio and Measles.  Disease that have almost been eradicated here in the U.S.  However, Measles have begun showing up in some areas around the United States later.  Without this vaccine many children suffer and become severely ill, and sometimes even die. The people of Haiti are begging to vaccinate their kids and keep them healthy. I am curious to continue to learn about how can vaccines become easier to access in places like Haiti.  It is hard to get the proper care when it comes to giving birth in Haiti, but that goes to show what a difference it can make to be born in a different place. 

Vaccinations continue to fascinate me as well.  Why?  Because I like the idea of healing people.  I like the idea of being able to avoid getting sick.  I know that vaccinations and booster shots are just part of my life.  Why are vaccinations becoming a taboo topic to talk about?  I am excited to do more research into this topic and how it affects young children.  I'm curious what did ya'll choose to research and why?




Children and parents in Haiti awaiting vaccinations




Balto, just because I find the story and movie interesting.

Resources:
https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-launches-campaign-vaccinate-over-2-million-children-against-diphtheria-paho
https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/Donations-fund-measles-polio-vaccinations-for-kids-in-Haiti.html