By Harlan Guidry
Special to The Daily News
Published April 20, 2007

Immunizing children assures the health of the children, their families, neighbors and community.

The Galveston County Health District and community partners will provide free immunizations to children in recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, Saturday through April 28.

During this week, we stress the importance of preventing diseases through scheduled vaccinations — a major public-health attempt to prevent illness and death.

I encourage parents to immunize their children “on-time.” Annually, public-health nurses witness the “back-to-school rush,” when hundreds of parents seek childhood vaccinations in order to meet school entry requirements.

However, the right time to schedule children’s immunizations depends on their age. Using the age-based schedule, a child would be immunized “on-time” throughout the year, avoiding added stress during the back-to-school rush.

Most importantly, immunizing children “on time” fully protects them without delay. Not doing so could put both the child and others at risk of dangerous and infectious diseases.

Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” is a great example of the need to vaccinate on time.

Disease investigators have seen an increase in reported infections of it in recent years. Last year, nine children in the county were diagnosed and treated for pertussis, which, like other vaccine preventable illnesses, requires several age-based doses for full protection.

Five scheduled doses, from 2 months to 4-6 years of age, are needed for full protection.

The age-based schedule for vaccines can be found at www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/child-schedule-bw-print.pdf.

These vaccines are safe and effective.

Difficulties comparing immunization rates are attributed to many factors, including frequent changes in the clinics where parents obtain services, frequent changes in the immunization schedule, differences in how estimates are made and an evolving, yet incomplete, state registry of children’s vaccination records.

Other complex statistical factors make it impossible to precisely “compare apples with apples” by year or by different locations.

The good news is that partnerships help!

The Health District’s Immunization Advisory Council helps by providing volunteers, donations, incentives and entertainment during campaigns.

These partnerships help to convert an unpleasant experience for most parents and children into one that is rewarding and entertaining.

The district has seen increased numbers of children bering vaccinated and has increased the availability of state-supplied vaccine among private medical providers.

Additionally, reminders are helping busy parents to make sure their children are immunized on time.

Finally, additional resources in 2007 will help further expand the availability of vaccines for eligible children (uninsured, etc.) who are immunized in the private medical community and will help promote use of the state registry, ImmTrac, as a tool to improve immunization rates.

It takes our entire community — public, private, parents, volunteers, friends and neighbors — to successfully maintain and improve children’s immunizations in our county.

During National Immunization Week, make it a point to talk to others about the importance of being immunized “on-time.”

Health-district staff will be providing free shots, promoting this healthy behavior at community events.

For complete information, see www.gchd.org or call the Immunizations Program at 409-938-2244.

You can also contact Kurt Koopmann, the public information officer at Galveston County Health District, on 409-938-2211 or by e-mail at kkoopman(at)gchd.org.

Dr. Harlan “Mark” Guidry is CEO and Galveston County health authority with Galveston County Health District.

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org