Don't let the big tears and sad cries stop you, parents. Children need early vaccinations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta say you save $21 for every dollar you spend on the measles-mumps-pertussis vaccine.
Vaccines work. Yet many U.S. children are still at risk of disease.
Being late with children's shots led to the 1989-91 measles epidemic, experts say. More than 55,000 children got sick. Roughly 11,000 were hospitalized. About 130 died.
A Georgia campaign, "A Immunize Georgia's Little Guys," has helped greatly. In 1986, only 35 percent of Georgia babies under one year old were immunized. By 1994, the figure had climbed to 83 percent.
A The 1996 goal of 90 percent is within our reach, said JoAnn McCloud-Harrison, a University of Georgia Extension Service nutrition education coordinator.
Extension agents are working with the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others. They remind parents of this vital concern.
National Infant Immunization Week is April 21-27.
Gail Hanula, an Extension nutrition and health specialist, said parents have a lot to keep track of.
At two years old, all children should have had shots for 10 diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b and chicken pox. These require five visits to a doctor or clinic.
Children who start getting their shots late are much less likely to complete them on time than other children.
Studies show that three-month-old children who haven't had any vaccines are far less likely to complete the series as children who did.
A "Immunization is one of the best ways to prevent disease," Hanula said. "Vaccine-preventable disease levels have been reduced by more than 99 percent since the vaccines came out.
"But no laws assure that children are up-to-date on their shots by age two," she said. "All 50 states requireÿchildren to be immunized before entering day care and school."
"Immunize Georgia's Little Guys "is part of the Georgia Department of Human Resources State Immunization Program.
Hospitals, health groups, the Extension Service and others are helping out. To learn more, see your local health expert.
