LANSING — The holidays are finally over and things are finally starting to return to normal. The kids are back at school, the Christmas tree is down and those New Year’s resolutions have already been broken.
How many years do we promise ourselves to take up jogging, quit smoking or finally start to eat right, only to fall off the wagon a week or two later? The good news is that it isn’t too late to follow through on one particular resolution to improve your family’s health in dramatic ways.
By immunizing our children against infectious diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, we can keep them healthy at school and at home while protecting the whole family from dangerous outbreaks.
The decision to immunize our kids should be simple. Because of their developing immune systems and exposure in settings like school and day care, children are especially vulnerable to dangerous but vaccine-preventable diseases. According to a new report from the Michigan Department of Community Health, childhood immunizations last year drove down the infection rate of chicken pox, mumps and whooping cough across the state.
Unfortunately, measles and rubella infections are on the rise in Michigan and severe outbreaks last year hospitalized dozens in our neighboring states, making vaccinations as important as ever. The Centers for Disease Control recently named ours one of eight states where the number of children being immunized is dropping. Each year, hundreds of Michigan children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented.
The good news from the Department of Community Health report is that vaccinations are safe and effective. Check with your doctor or health department to learn more, or get more information online at www.michigan.gov/immunize or by dialing 211.
— Dr. Steven Newman, president
Michigan State Medical Society