This is a good week to give your kids a shot

Texas City Sun
By T.J. Aulds, Sun managing editor
Published 04/26/04

No one likes getting a shot, especially small children.

But this week we join with the Galveston County Health District is asking that those with small children in particular find the time to have your child immunized.

According the the National Center for Disease Control, more than 32,000 children under the age of three are not immunized in this country. That is 32,000 too many.

It is easy for most of us to be complacent about the measles or whooping cough or even polio. For the most part these diseases are not even a part of our daily concern — these days.

There was a time in this country when diseases such as those and many others swept across the country and in some cases crippled or even killed. But for hard work, dedicated research and the prick of a needle vaccines against these deadly viruses were found.

But that protection only works if a child is immunized. Each year the number of children who do not receive immunizations is growing.

Complacency is the blame in some cases, financial burdens are another. But education and awareness if the biggest culprit.

Local health officials estimate that up to 60 percent of our local child population has not be immunized. Can you imagine what a strain to our health system it would be should there be an outbreak of a disease most had figured no longer existed?

What’s worse is imagine the pain and suffering a child would have to go through all because a parent didn’t take the time to get by to a doctor or one of the dozens of free immunization sites open this week across the area.

Our medical community has already battled these deadly diseases before and folks at the health district along with their partners at UTMB have stepped up to meet you half way. The rest is up to you.

If you have a child three or younger get to one of the immunizations sites this week. Even if you don’t have children of your own, make it a point to tell your friends, co-workers, relatives, complete strangers even that there are places to go for immunizations — many of them free — this week.

A complete list of sites can be found on Page 3 of today’s paper.

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
(409) 938-2211
kkoopman@gchd.org

Read the press release