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This is 60 Seconds to Better Health. This is Dr. Sherry Pleistead, a pediatrician for Kaiser Permanente San Diego with an important message about childhood immunization.
Vaccination is one of the great modern medical success stories. If you're like most parents today, you've never known a child who was paralyzed by polio or one who became deaf because of the mumps.
Many vaccine - preventable diseases are now rare in the U .S., but that doesn't mean they've disappeared. The viruses and bacteria that cause them to disappear. them still exist, and they can be spread to children and adults who haven't been immunized.
When you are vaccinated, your immune system makes disease -fighting antibodies that will help protect you if you are exposed to the actual disease. Like all medicines, vaccines carry a small element of risk.
But as a parent, you run a much higher risk by not immunizing your child. Safeguard your child, your family, and your community. Talk to your doctor today about immunizing your child. For more information, visit kp.org/sandiego.