Every parent wants to do what is best for their child. Everyone knows about the importance of car seats, baby gates and other ways to keep children safe. However, one of the best ways to protect your children is to make sure they receive all of their vaccinations, even those designed to prevent against diseases that are no longer around, as a child’s immune system is much more vulnerable without these vaccinations.
The world we live in today is an increasingly global one, with increased risks around every corner. In today’s times, travel makes the world a much smaller place, and as people continue to explore and travel the globe, the reoccurrence of a disease thought to have been eradicated (i.e., polio) is merely a plane ride away. In the U.S., given our high vaccination rates, recurrence is admittedly less likely. However, the potential still exists when people don’t get vaccinated. Thus, it is important to maintain vaccination rates in efforts to maintain the health and safety of our children and country as a whole.
Would you let your small child ride in the front seat of the car or in the back without a car seat? My instinct tells me the answer is likely NO. The reason being because it keeps them safe in the event an accident happens. This same logic applies to vaccinations, and making sure your child receives all their vaccinations, including ones for diseases no longer around in the U.S., only serves to better protect your child, even if the likelihood of a disease recurrence is low.