Immunization An important choice you make for your child What you need to know about childhood immunizations This book has been developed for parents by health care providers who strongly recommend childhood immunizations. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK CONTACT: Vancouver Coastal Health Communicable Disease Control Telephone: 604-675-3900 / Fax: 604-731-2756 An electronic version is available at: www.vch.ca/public/immunization/ Vancouver Coastal Health wishes to acknowledge an unconditional grant from Wyeth Canada which supported the publishing of this book. Design © 2008 DESIGN | STRATEGY | RESEARCH | INC Illustrations © 2007 – Corinna Zimmerman BENEFITS BENEFITS Dear Parents, DISEASES VACCIne-preVENTABLE DISEASES We want to answer all your questions about childhood immunizations. This book contains the latest information MULTIPLE MULTIPLE about the importance and safety of childhood immunizations. SHOTS MULTIPLE SHOTS If you would like more information than you find here, please let us know. VACCINES? WHAT’S IN IN WHAT’S Protect your child against serious diseases by choosing WHAT’S IN VACCINES? vaccines for your child. Sincerely, SAFETY Your health care provider VACCINE SAFETY RESOU RESOURCES R CES Immunization: a healthy choice for everyone Prevents Improves illness & quality death of life Prevents Immunization Guards against disease Offers missed work, outbreaks Many Benefits school or travel Reduces Protects healthcare families & costs communities Immunization saves lives 4 Vaccines protect in two ways. When children get their shots, BENEFITS Vaccines protect everyone they are protected personally against diseases. As well, when most children are immunized, it’s harder for disease to spread from person to person. This helps build a circle of protection around a whole community and protects those who can’t be immunized for medical reasons or for whom a vaccine might not be 100% protective. The circle of protection Your child’s immunizations help protect others too: • A newborn child • A grandparent being treated for cancer • A relative or friend in poor health • A child who can’t be immunized 5 When a new vaccine is made available to children, the Vaccines work quickly number of children who get sick drops quickly. Here’s a to protect children look at how quickly the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine worked to protect young children in British Columbia. The grey bars on the diagram Before show a large drop in the number 160 of one-year old children who got vaccine under 1 year pneumococcal disease after the 140 vaccine was given to children, 1 year starting in 2003. 120 2 years 100 80 60 40 After Rates per 100,000 population Rates 20 vaccine 0 2002 2003 2004 2005 Source: Paulus, S., et al. (2006). Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease after Year introduction of the universal infant immunization program, British Columbia Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in B.C. in children under 3 yrs. (2002–2005). CCDR, 32–14. 6 Vaccines work best when all children are immunized. The following Immunization saves stories show what happened in some countries when large groups childrens’ lives of children did not get immunized. Many people became sick and died. This happened in England, Russia, Japan, Sweden, Italy and many other countries. Canada has not seen large-scale outbreaks because childhood immunization rates remain high. However, if too few children are immunized it can happen in Canada too. A story from Russia A story from England & Wales A story from Japan In the late 1980s the public health system From 1977–1979 whooping cough From 1976–1979 whooping cough collapsed with the break-up of the Soviet immunization rates dropped too low. immunization rates dropped too low. Union and children were unable to get their vaccines. Result = diphtheria epidemic Result = whooping cough epidemic Result = whooping cough epidemic 157,000 5,000 100,000 100 13,000 100+ People People People Children People Children Sick Died Sick Died Sick Died When the number of children immunized goes down, the number of people who get the disease goes up. 7 Where will your child be 5–10–20 years from now? Immunization is the Vaccines will help protect your child everywhere they go best protection throughout their life. now and in the future R Here are places your children will be protected R Daycares, pre-schools, schools R Birthday parties R Waiting rooms at doctors’ offices R Summer camps R Airplanes, public transit R Colleges and university residences R Community centres, churches, concerts R Workplaces [ Getting all shots on time is the best protection 8 Diseases Childhood vaccines are provided free to protect against these DISEASES diseases. Read this section to learn why immunization is your child’s best protection. DTaP–IPV–Hib COMBINED VACCINE MMR COMBINED VACCINE SINGLE VACCINES DIPHTHERIA (D) MEASLES (M) HEPATITIS B TETANUS (T) MUMPS (M) MENINGOCOCCAL PERTUSSIS (aP) (Whooping cough) RUBELLA (R) PNEUMOCOCCAL POLIO (IPV) VARICELLA (Chickenpox) HAEMOPHILUS (Hib) The ultimate truth: “Parents who decide INFLUENZA (The flu) not to vaccinate, actively decide to leave their children susceptible to disease.” Dr. Gary Marshall, Professor of Pediatrics and Immunization Expert 9 Vaccines protect against very infectious diseases This is how pneumococcal germs and many other germs can spread from one child to another. Start Pneumococcal germ (bacteria)* X Here Will this child get pneumococcal disease? Unlikely, because this child received all Who has the germ? One of the children in her pneumococcal shots. Children who this class has the pneumococcal germ and have not had their shots are at high risk nobody knows. for getting sick. Immunization Stops the Spread of Disease How does the germ enter another healthy child’s body? Through their eyes, nose or How does the germ leave an infected mouth. Children often put their hands or child’s body? Through their nose or mouth. objects in their mouths. How does an infected child spread the pneumococcal germ? Sneezing, Note: Different diseases spread different ways. coughing, talking & singing can spray germs into the air that can land on other children. Dirty hands spread germs to their friends’ hands, toys & other * Pneumococcal photo courtesy of CDC and Dr. Mike Miller objects. Kissing, sharing bottles & eating utensils also spreads germs. 10 Diphtheria can be a deadly disease because some types attack Diphtheria the airway and vital organs. Although rarely seen in Canada DTaP–IPV–Hib today, it’s easy for diphtheria to return if too few people get immunized. This has happened in several places around the world. The diphtheria vaccine is safe. It’s your child’s best defence. Part of the DTaP–IPV–Hib combined vaccine Diphtheria vaccine prevents: R Diphtheria vaccine works* Q Before diphtheria vaccine, how many people got sick in Canada each year? Neck glands swelling A Up to 9,000 people Blocked airway Q Since diphtheria vaccine, how many people get sick in Canada each year? Breathing problems A 1 person in 2004 Heart: inflammation of heart muscle [ Did you know? Skin infection l One person in 10 who gets diphtheria will die, even with treatment. l Parents need reminders too. To maintain lifelong immunity, adults need a Temporary muscle tetanus-diphtheria booster shot every 10 years. Pass this message on to your paralysis: limbs, eye family and friends. muscles, diaphragm, nerve inflammation Death *Source: Provisional Data Public Health Agency of Canada 11 Tetanus is a life-threatening disease caused by a germ found Tetanus (Lockjaw) in dust and soil. Unlike other vaccine-preventable diseases, it’s found in our environment and doesn’t spread between people. The germ enters the body through a break in the skin. There is no other protection against tetanus except the vaccine. The tetanus vaccine is safe. Part of the DTaP–IPV–Hib combined vaccine Tetanus vaccine prevents: ? Parents’ questions Brain seizures, Where could my child come in contact with tetanus? long-term damage Q Tetanus lives amongst us. Here are examples of where it can be found: Muscle spasms in A neck & throat causing • The soil in your garden or the playground swallowing problems (1/3 of all soil samples in North America contain tetanus spores) Breathing problems • Animal and human feces • Dust – streets, houses, buildings Heart: abnormal heartbeat & abnormal blood pressure [ Did you know* l Since tetanus vaccine has been used in Canada, the number of people sick Generalized severe muscle spasms & pain with tetanus has gone down over 90%. ! Parents—remember your booster every 10 years Bone fractures caused by muscle spasms Death *Source: Canadian Immunization Manual, 7th edition, 2006. 12 Whooping cough is still common and affects people of all ages, Pertussis but is most severe in young children. Every year 1 to 3 infants die (Whooping cough) in Canada from whooping cough. That’s why it’s very important for all children to receive the vaccine. The whooping cough vaccine is safe. It’s your child’s best protection. Part of the DTaP–IPV–Hib combined vaccine Whooping cough vaccine prevents: R Whooping cough vaccine works* Brain inflammation, Q Before this vaccine, how many people got sick in Canada each year? bleeding, seizures & long-term damage A Up to 25,000 people Nose bleed Q Since this vaccine, how many people get sick in Canada each year? Facial bruising Ear infection A 2,712 people in 2004 Lung infection Did you know? (pneumonia) & collapse [ Rib fractures l Infants younger than 6 months old get terribly sick if they catch whooping cough. That’s why early immunization is so important. l 20–30% of infants with whooping cough will be hospitalized. Hernia of intestine & l Someone not vaccinated against whooping cough has a very high risk (90%) rectal prolapse of getting sick if exposed because the germ is very contagious. l Young babies often catch whooping cough from an adult who thinks they just have a bad cold and cough.