Why do parents worry about vaccines?
We are in the midst of a measles epidemic. As of July 17th, there were more than 1,100 cases reported in 28 states. That’s the highest number since 1992 — and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. Given that measles is extremely contagious — the virus can linger in rooms even after a sick person has left — and can lead to serious complications, this is really alarming.
There is a simple way to help: get more people immunized.
How many children receive vaccines?
Most children in the US are immunized. Only a little more than 1% of children have no immunizations. This is important not only for the children who are immunized, but also for those around them who either cannot be immunized — because they are too young, or because they have a problem with their immune system that prevents it — or have not been immunized. Having enough immunized people around stops a virus like measles from spreading. For measles, this “community” or “herd” immunity exists when around 95% of the people are immune. When clusters of people aren’t immunized, this allows cases, usually brought in from other countries where a virus like measles is more common, to spread.
Fear spreads as easily as measles does. People hear something about a vaccine that worries them, and they tell their friends and family. With social media, fear can spread even more quickly and broadly. Once you are afraid, it’s hard to get unafraid. And on the internet, all information — whether based on scientific studies or not — is equally available. Agreeing to vaccines requires a choice to do something; it requires action, and when parents get afraid, it can seem easier to just not take action.
The consequences, though, can be deadly — not just for the unimmunized child, but for those around them. The vaccine decision isn’t just an individual one; it affects whole communities.
Why are parents hesitant to vaccinate?
I have been a pediatrician for 28 years. I talk to a lot of parents who are hesitant to vaccinate. Here’s what they tell me they worry about:
Side effects.It’s certainly true that vaccines can have side effects. Any medical treatment can have a side effect. With vaccines, the most common side effects are mild, like soreness where the needle went in, or a slight fever. Serious side effects are rare. There is a database, called the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, which keeps track of all reported side effects. The information is publicly available, and I always encourage parents to look at it.
Autism is not a side effect of vaccines. I can understand why people might look at vaccines as a possible cause of autism. The symptoms of autism become apparent early in life, which is a time when we are giving a lot of vaccines (since infants are very vulnerable to infections). But this has been researched extensively, and there has been no link found. There are lots of other things going on during pregnancy and those first couple of years, and hopefully we will find the cause of autism soon. But it’s not vaccines.
Additives. The worry used to be about thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury. While its use was never linked to autism or any other problem, it was removed from everything except multi-dose vials of the flu vaccine out of an abundance of caution. Thimerosal-free versions of the flu vaccine are available if you’re concerned. Now the worry is about other additives, such as aluminum, that are added to keep vaccines safe and make them work better. Before getting alarmed about additives, it’s important to learn about them — because once people do, they are usually reassured. I encourage people to read about additives, and to make sure all their questions are answered.
Overwhelming the immune system.It’s true that we give more shots to babies than we used to, but the antigens in vaccines are nothing compared to the antigens that babies, and all of us, encounter as we breathe, eat, touch things, get dirty, and otherwise live our lives. Vaccines give babies a “sneak peek” of an infection — one that can’t cause the infection, but which gives the body a chance to make antibodies so that it’s ready to fight the infection should it be exposed. It’s not overwhelming the immune system. It’s helping to make the immune system work more efficiently.
Because that’s the point: we don’t want our children — and the children around them — to get sick. Too often, that point gets lost. People get so worried about the risks of vaccines that they forget to worry about the risks of the diseases vaccines prevent. It’s important to know — and worry — about those, as they can be serious. Because vaccines work so well, we’ve nearly forgotten about how dangerous polio, Haemophilus influenzae infections, or even chickenpox can be.
It’s normal, and understandable, to be afraid as a parent. But we need to be afraid of the right things — and we need to make decisions that keep everyone safer.
The post Why do parents worry about vaccines? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Seven key health behaviors [...] account for >50% of all premature male deaths and about 70% of men's illnesses. They are partly related to masculine social norms that reinforce the notion that manhood is associated with self-sufficiency, stoicism, risk-taking, and hypersexuality.
![Seven key health behaviors [...] account for >50% of all premature male deaths and about 70% of men's illnesses. They are partly related to masculine social norms that reinforce the notion that manhood is associated with self-sufficiency, stoicism, risk-taking, and hypersexuality.](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/R3z-6abNqTPoBPnLo6FFKib08w8eI1xwEauRsqth-OM.jpg "Seven key health behaviors [...] account for >50% of all premature male deaths and about 70% of men's illnesses. They are partly related to masculine social norms that reinforce the notion that manhood is associated with self-sufficiency, stoicism, risk-taking, and hypersexuality.") |
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Improving Mental Health by Taking on Social and Racial Injustice
The International District of Albuquerque, New Mexico is a majority Latino neighborhood that vibrates with life. It’s a hub of family-owned bakeries, restaurants, and shops that showcase the distinct origin stories of its inhabitants. But the community also faces challenges that have created high levels of economic and other kinds of stress for residents, which have translated into growing concerns about high suicide rates for young Latino men as well as substance misuse and community trauma.
The challenges in Albuquerque’s International District are far too familiar to many communities of color with low household incomes in the United States: high rates of poverty, under-resourced schools, limited job opportunities, dilapidated infrastructure, unsafe streets, and high levels of violence.
What’s less familiar is the connection these community conditions have with mental health and wellbeing.
It’s time for us to start recognizing injustices like racism, anti-immigrant bias, heterosexism, and other forms of discrimination as social injustices and obstacles to mental health and wellbeing. We can’t ignore these injustices if we want all communities to thrive. That means starting to implement approaches to mental health that help remedy the community conditions that cause or exacerbate problems and support communities of color, immigrants and refugees, and the LGBTQ community.
“Stress is too deeply woven into our lives,” says Xavier Barraza of Together4Brothers, a lead organization of Making Connections: International District, which goes by MC: ID. And healthy outlets to cope with stress aren’t as readily available in the International District as are alcohol and cigarettes in neighborhood stores.
To counteract this on-the-ground reality, MC:ID creates opportunities that emphasize supportive relationships and shared leadership. These range from cooking classes to project meetings. Every MC:ID strategy, activity, and decision is led by young men of color, who participate in workshops to strengthen their understanding of community determinants of health, social-emotional health, and policy strategy, all while building healthy relationships with one another.
As peer educators, these young men support each other “to take action in their community and be the problem solvers,” said Raul C., one of the many young men who contribute to MC:ID’s shared vision. They are paid for their work, gain invaluable professional skills, advocate for their community, and cultivate leadership; these are all elements they have identified for improving their wellbeing.
Like MC: ID, there are other initiatives throughout the US that are taking on community conditions that are harmful to good mental health among people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other groups that have been marginalized by mainstream culture and policies. In Tacoma-Pierce County, near Seattle, Washington, the health department partners with grassroots organizations to strengthen social connections and community resilience among men and boys and LGBTQ people of color in communities where adverse childhood and community experiences are widespread. The initiative has served close to 500 individuals with culturally grounded activities such as the All My Relations program for indigenous youth, and Paddles Up, Families Strong, which ties urban natives to deep cultural practices such as the Tribal Canoe Journey.
The centerpiece of the Tacoma-Pierce County program, called 253 Making Connections, is a participatory budgeting process through which community members—who have a deep understanding of what types of support their community needs—have decided to fund people of color-led grassroots organizations to lead the activities described above. This model shifts power from organizations back to communities, distributing leadership and decision-making more equitably.
The programs in Albuquerque and Tacoma-Pierce County, both of which are part of the Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing Among Men and Boys initiative, funded by the Movember Foundation, have several common elements:
- They intentionally engage community members, particularly those who have been historically excluded, in determining solutions and strategies that promote healing, build trust, and foster resilience. This is because people with lived experience bring a deep understanding and awareness of their own needs, which helps them design effective solutions.
- They understand that trauma is a collective experience and therefore healing is strongest when it’s a community experience. Healing can take place during group conversations, recreational or vocational activities, civic engagement, and culturally grounded rituals. Artistic and cultural expression can be especially powerful conveyors for understanding a group’s trauma and pain and can also serve as doorways to healing and resilience.
- They often support peer networks and counselors to open a channel of communication with community members who may not feel comfortable with traditional mental health structures. Peer networks have the additional benefit of creating leadership opportunities for community members and fostering social connection for everyone involved in them.
We’ve had the privilege of working with a dozen communities who are bringing together partners in the housing, education, and social services worlds with grassroots organizations and, most importantly, community members to improve mental health at the community level. The power and creativity of these approaches is truly impressive, and they deserve more attention, not just during minority mental health month, but all year long.
This post courtesy of Mental Health America.
Jogging and five other exercises (mountain climbing, walking, power walking, certain types of dancing, and long yoga practices) ward off weight gain despite 'obesity genes' in a new study of 18,424 Han Chinese. Surprisingly, cycling, stretching exercises, swimming and Dance Dance Revolution did not.
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