Sutter Pediatrician Addresses Importance Of Childhood Immunizations

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 22 Apr 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Pediatrician Henry Collins, M.D., of Solano Regional Medical Group (SRMG), the multispecialty physician group affiliated with Sutter Regional Medical Foundation (SRMF), is talking about the importance and benefits of childhood immunizations this week, National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 19-26.

The annual observance highlights the achievements and advances made in pediatric health. Since 1994, NIIW has served as a call to action for parents, caregivers and health care providers to ensure that infants are fully immunized.

"Immunizations give children a healthy start in life," says Dr. Collins, a veteran pediatrician with SRMG. "We work with families and advise them about these needed vaccinations. Regular physicals and immunizations are important tools for promoting childhood health."

Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death. They not only help protect vaccinated individuals, but also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases and life-threatening illnesses. Americans' infrequent experience with these diseases can produce a false sense of security and diminish some parents' perception of the need for these vaccines, Dr. Collins says.

Each day, nearly 12,000 babies are born in the U.S. who will need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age 2. According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 56 percent of American children are not fully immunized by this age.

"Vaccines are very safe and effective," Dr. Collins says. "They are all thoroughly tested and approved by the by the FDA. The Centers for Disease Control monitors all side effects to ensure vaccines continue to be safely given to children. Millions of children are protected from life-threatening disease through vaccines. The important thing to remember is that getting the disease is much more dangerous than getting the vaccine," Dr. Collins says.

What parents and caregivers can do:

-- Be sure your child receives regular physicals.

-- Keep an immunization record and update it after every doctor visit.

-- Bring this immunization record to each doctor appointment.

-- Ask your doctor whether your child is up to date on his or her immunizations.

Dr. Collins says advancements within the last decade have dramatically diminished the threat of polio, measles, mumps and other diseases in children. "In America today, the work of parents and their child's pediatrician have reduced the frequency in which we see these diseases. The only way to continue this is to continue immunizing our children," he says.

The latest in pediatric immunizations include Gardasil for girls, the only shot that indirectly prevents cervical cancer. A new vaccine against meningococcal disease, or meningitis, is recommended for children at their preadolescent visit (11-12 years of age), teens entering high school and college freshmen living in dormitories.

SRMG practitioners care for patients from birth to adolescence with medical issues ranging from simple to complex. Our pediatricians address your child's health care needs in a comfortable, comprehensive and efficient manner. Sutter Health offers helpful information at http://www.kids.sutterhealth.org, including an immunizations guide and answers to questions about immunizations.

About Sutter Regional Medical Foundation

Sutter Regional Medical Foundation is a locally governed and managed affiliate of Sutter Health, a not-for-profit network of physicians and hospitals in Northern California. SRMF is affiliated with Solano Regional Medical Group, Solano County's largest multi-specialty physician practice that has served the community for more than 50 years. SRMF offers professional, high-quality and compassionate care from care centers in Vacaville, Vallejo, Fairfield, and Rio Vista, all in California, and is fully accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality.

Sutter Health is one of the nation's leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers, delivering high quality care to more than 100 Northern California communities. Sutter Health has relationships with more than 3,600 physicians and is the regional leader in infant deliveries, neonatology, orthopedics and pediatric services. Sutter Health maintains medical foundation clinics in 11 Northern California counties.

Sutter Regional Medical Foundation
http://www.suttersolano.org