The subject of vaccination has been a rather touchy one for many years and continues to be a hot topic of conversation. While pregnant, I did my fair share of research, I Googled, looked at many studies and read parent opinions. After all the inquiry, my husband and I weren’t convinced that not vaccinating our son was the right way to go. To us, the pros drastically outweighed the cons.

Recently, while on a family road trip to D.C., I picked up a copy of USA Today (Tuesday, May 26th, 2009) and read an article regarding whooping cough. The article stated, “Children who aren’t vaccinated against whooping cough are 23 times more likely to develop the disease than children who get all of their shots on time.” The article continued indicating that in 1976 there were 1,000 reported cases and in 2004 that number jumped to 26,000 reported cases (Source: Jason Glanz, Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s Institute for Health Research).

I also read a study conducted in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal in March found that 91 babies under the age of 1 died of whooping cough within a five year span from 1999 to 2004. It seemed that more than half of those babies were under the age of 2 months old, the age at which they get their first series of shots.

To me, it is just absolutely insane! It seems that whooping cough has been making a comeback in recent years as more and more parents are making the decision not to vaccinate their children. In my opinion, refusing to immunize your child not only puts your child at risk but puts those children who are vulnerable as well.

Wasn’t vaccination the reason for the elimination of killer diseases such as polio, diphtheria and rubella?

I respect the fact that everyone has their own opinion and views on certain issues and am sure that parents who decide not to vaccinate their children are thinking that they are doing what is best for their children.

I wholeheartedly believe that as a parent it is my duty to protect my son from things that are within my control (and attempt to protect him against things that aren’t) and if vaccinating him against certain diseases or illnesses is a method of doing so, then so be it.

As parents, we need to do what it takes to shield our children from harm. I feel that we need to make a concerted effort to offer our children a healthy lifestyle and protect them from diseases and illnesses that will do them any damage later in life.