made of kent

its hard for younger people to understand and I include myself here dispite pushing 40! there have been no real epidemics of common childhood illness for a long, long time, but look back to your history lessions and how many native Americans and Australians where wiped out due to measles and chicken pox as they had no inmunity, and due to the lack of outbreaks in resent history, we and our children have no immunity, and you may well think big deal! there is better medicine now! but imagine a healthcare system, trying to deal with an epidemic! I was in the UK and helped on an advisory panel for pandemics, believe me it was easier for the UK to put procedures into place than the US, the same panel reported to a panel at governmental level, which was liasing with the USA, and the US is having to deal with hundreds and hundred of private companies all out to protect themselves! what going to happen? I am not allowed to say! but rest assured if the next pandemic is the swine flu! not alot you could have done! but measles! whooping cough, polio, dipthteria...good luck to you!

scrubbedexpat097

The 4-6yr check up has always included an eye test with all the docs and pedis I have worked with here in Texas. It is a very basic one and a lot of parents do not realize if a child that young is having vision problems, especially distance, so it is a good detection to see if further testing is necessary.



You are right, it is very hard, especially when all the information is thrust in front of you for you to sign and the doctor and nurse are waiting to administer the shots.

A good pediatrician will give you time to read the info, ask questions and decide what you wish your child to have in the way of vaccines. Problem is not all have the time or are willing to give you the time..

Chaunticleer

Of course you should be concerned about what's injected into your child's body, and it's always sensible not to take anyone's word for it when your child's health is concerned. But there are many parents (and I'm not directing this at you, because you're concerns are completely reasonable) who reject vaccines altogether, and they are profoundly ignorant people. They essentially are freeloading off the vaccinations of other children, which doesn't always work out, so their children get sick. Because of antibiotics these illnesses usually aren't serious (though there always a few deaths from whooping cough, etc. each year in the US), but each time a child gets sick it raises the possibility of disease mutating into an antibody and/or vaccine resistant strain. To prevent this possibility EVERY child must be vaccinated. The more who opt out, the more likely it is that a new supergerm can emerge.

Those of who have grown up or lived in first world countries have a hard time understanding what life without vaccines and antibiotics is like. Few of us know the anxiety that comes with possibility of one's child dying every time he gets sick, and the helplessness that comes from being unable to do anything to help one's child but pray. Because of this ignorance many choose to opt out of vaccines, to everyone's loss.

made of kent

thank you! herd immunity! well writen better than mine, vaccinate a child, protect your comunity!! come on people I can't really really say what will happen in a epidemic or pandemic, but take the hint please!!!!

AmerLisa

Why can't you "really, really say"?

scrubbedexpat097

me too........some of us are old enough to know what happened during the Polio epidemic so what is going to be different then?????

made of kent

I am under a secrecy act!! US and UK read though!