Public Health Measures in Early Childhood

One of the major public health measures that affect children all over the word is immunizations (vaccinations) (Berger, 2012).  The US and most nations practice immunizations to prevent childhood diseases such as mumps, measles, whooping cough, pneumonia, rotavirus, and polio (Berger, 2012).  Polio disease used to be prevalent in the United States before the vaccination was created (Berger, 2012).  Immunizations programs are often halted when countries are experiencing war, and this has occurred in Afghanistan (Berger, 2012).  There are some people in the US that are not allowed to receive immunizations safely because they have been stricken with HIV, rubella, or are receiving chemotherapy (Berger, 2012).  If the majority of people (called a herd) in the US are immunized, then the people that can’t take immunization are usually safe from the diseases (Berger, 2012).

I was glad to find out that there is now a vaccine to prevent chicken pox called varicella (Berger, 2012).  When I was a child everyone would get the chickenpox and it was treated like a “rite of passage” Unfortunately there is still no vaccine to stop malaria, typhoid, cholera, shigellosis, and AIDS (Berger, 2012).  This topic is very meaningful to me because I am concerned about children and sickness interferes with a child’s success.  It is my hope that the diseases I have mentioned will be eradicated in my lifetime.

 

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth

            Publishers.