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Low Vaccination Rates Put Black
Children At Risk
September 9, 2002
Beverly M. Gaines
In the national effort to eliminate
infectious diseases, black children are being left behind. The
statistics are grim: Vaccination rates in the black community are
among the lowest for any demographic group in the country.
Simply put, our kids are at serious risk for contracting deadly
diseases that can easily be prevented. It's urgent that parents and
the public and private health communities join together to raise
vaccination rates.
As a pediatrician who treats children every day and as an advocate
for appropriate health care in the black community, I know firsthand
how valuable vaccinations can be.
Although many devastating diseases of the past appear to be behind
us, they are only lurking silently in the shadows waiting for the
opportunity to re-emerge if we let our guard down.
Consider these the facts:
Blacks - especially those living in urban areas - have the lowest
immunization rates in the nation, according the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's National Immunization Survey.
Although the 2001 national average immunization coverage for
children remains among the highest ever reported at 77 percent, the
average immunization coverage rate for black children is a full 5
percent less than the national average at 72 percent.
Unfortunately, these statistics may be overly optimistic because
many experts believe the rates in the black community may actually
be far lower. That compares to a 79 percent rate for whites and a 75
percent rate for Hispanics.
These are dangerously low numbers for our community, but they are
even more alarming because the CDC survey showed the gap between
black children and white and Hispanic kids is still widening.
That is tragic because childhood immunizations - while preventing
childhood diseases - also set the stage for a lifetime of good
health.
The reduction of infectious dread diseases over the last four
decades is nothing short of miraculous. Death-dealing diseases such
as polio, smallpox and diphtheria have been wiped out in the United
States. Measles, mumps, whooping cough and Haemophilus influenza
Type B (known as Hib disease) are on the verge of being eradicated
for people who are immunized on schedule.
But the viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable disease
and death still exist in many parts of the world and are only a
plane trip away from returning to our shores.
Thankfully, vaccines undergo extensive scientific testing to ensure
effectiveness and safety before the Food and Drug Administration
gives its final stamp of approval. Serious reactions can occur, but
they are so extremely rare that they pale before the
life-threatening health complications caused by contracting a
serious infectious disease.
Yet disturbingly, stories about negative effects from vaccines
continue to make the rounds even though all of the scientific and
medical data exonerate vaccines as the culprit.
Parents should disregard such misinformation and make sure their
children are immunized on schedule. Newborns have immunity to many
diseases because of antibodies from the mother, but that infant
immunity soon weakens. By immunizing on time, you can protect your
child from being infected and prevent the infection of others at day
care or preschool centers. Children under 5 years of age are
especially susceptible to disease because their immune systems are
still developing.
Vaccine-preventable diseases also have severe consequences that can
affect the whole family: Sick children require doctor's visits and
hospitalizations and can cause parents to miss work and paychecks.
Finally, parents should make sure that they themselves are
immunized. It is never too late to vaccinate.
When you consider the amounts that parents spend on back-to-school
clothes and supplies this year, the few dollars spent on
immunization truly are a sound investment for the entire family.
Beverly M. Gaines is a pediatrician in Louisville, Ky., and a
vice president of the National Medical Association. This article was
distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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