All in one contest W44 : The Importance of Childhood Vaccination!!!

Hello everyone,

I am excited to express my thoughts in relation to the wonderful content put together by the Steem Kids & Parents Community. We all have a common goal as parents, guardians, older brothers and sisters, or prospective parents to ensure the good health of children. There are many topics worth discussion but now I want to pay attention to one of them, namely, childhood vaccination. Having thought of this issue for a long time, I came to the conclusion that vaccination means a lot more than just a regular visit to the hospital. It is one of the most efficient methods to protect our children from harmful diseases before they actually do any harm to our kids' health. Each vaccine is aimed at preparing an immune system of children for protection against certain infections. Thanks to vaccination, such dangerous diseases as measles, polio, tetanus, and whooping cough became not so frequent in many countries. As far as I am concerned, it is a great medical achievement of our times since millions of children managed to live due to vaccines created many years ago.

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What I like about childhood vaccination is that its positive effects can be seen not only concerning the individual health of each child. The fact that more children will get their recommended vaccines means that there is a smaller probability of disease spreading in schools, playgrounds, and communities. Moreover, it also helps protect those children who are too little for vaccination and those people who suffer from diseases that weaken their immune system. The next benefit of vaccination is related to families' financial and emotional costs reduction when dealing with treatment of illness that could be prevented with vaccines. Still, I remember visiting a neighbor whose kid suffered from the measles several years ago. Being witnesses of how he was tortured by high temperature and weakness made me understand that prevention is always better than treatment. Such experiences reinforced my conviction that following the vaccination schedule is one of the greatest acts of love and care for kids.

Nevertheless, I understand the reasons why some parents feel concern. It is quite normal when someone feels scared when his/her child's health is in question. Many parents are afraid of possible side effects of the vaccine or simply confused after having read various opinions about vaccines on social networks. According to my observations, vaccine side effects are quite minor, a bit of pain

Advantages of Childhood Vaccination

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• Prevents children from acquiring serious and even fatal illnesses.

• Builds up immunity against certain diseases.

• Prevents the transmission of contagious illnesses in the community.

• Saves money on medical treatment for children.

• Allows children to participate in school and social activities without being sick.

• Creates healthier communities through herd immunity.

Common Concerns and Challenges

• The fear of side effects like fever and pain.

• Misinformation on social media.

• The fear of too many vaccines for children.

• Lack of vaccinations in some rural areas.

• Cultural and religious beliefs against immunization.

My Thoughts About Childhood Vaccination

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• I consider vaccination during childhood to be one of the most remarkable discoveries in medicine because it enables children to be safe from the illnesses that took many innocent lives in the past.

• I consider vaccines as the means of protection, not cure, because they equip the child's immune system before he or she could be affected by a certain disease.

• I consider all parents responsible for following the recommendations on vaccinating children on time and not leaving children at risk.

• I understand the fears of parents, but I do not think that the problem should be solved through unprofessional advice from social networks.

• Personally, I prefer any pain from a vaccination to seeing how a child suffers from a disease that could have been avoided.

• At the same time, I think that vaccination is not just the matter of saving a particular child from a disease but the issue of providing safety for other children, old people, and people with weak immune system.

• I believe that vaccinating your child means showing your love, responsibility, and care because all parents dream of raising a healthy child.

My Experience on Vaccination

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A case changed my opinion on child vaccination completely. I have a good friend named John; his little sister's name is Grace. Once, when Grace was about three years old, her parents postponed her vaccination since they were sure that their little daughter was healthy enough and would not suffer any harm due to the fact that she missed an appointment. Some time passed by, and there was a measles outbreak in the area. As a result, Grace got sick; she had fever, a red rash all over her body, cough and pain in her eyes. I visited Grace in the hospital where she lay in bed silently while usually being full of energy, and I was shocked. Of course, Grace's parents felt guilty for their negligence, saying that they never thought that the outcome might be so severe.

Fortunately, Grace recovered within a few days after the doctors' treatment, but the memory of what she went through remained in the minds of those who knew her. From that time on, I began to view vaccination not as a routine process but as a way to secure children from diseases that may lead to rather tragic outcomes and even to death. Every time the topic of vaccination comes up, I think about Grace and remember how easy and safer the prevention is in comparison with the treatment. This case increased my trust in child vaccinations greatly.

I would like to invite;

@ninapenda
@solperez
@max-pro
@lirvic

Thanks for reading this post!!!