The public health topic that interested me the most was immunizations. This topic is very relevant to me in my teaching career because I teach children with autism. There have been many claims by parents that once their child received the MMR vaccination their child started showing signs of regression and autism. I have worked with several parents who believe this and who have decided NOT to vaccinate their children. There are conflicting reports some researchers say vaccinations do not cause autism while others believe they do. Recently, a study stating that autism was not caused by vaccinations has been called into question.
The area of the world I researched was Africa. I choose this region because I know there is a lack of vaccinations and I wanted to learn more about what is being done to help this problem. For many years, vaccinations in Africa have been subpar. Vaccination rates have dropped over the last 10 years in low income countries including Sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccination rates peaked in 1990 with 55%, however, that rate has dropped to 33% in 2000. This decline has left many children with a lack of immunizations and at an increased chance of catching a disease. The lack of immunizations can be attributed to many different things including weak health service delivery systems, civil unrest and a lack of commitment by governments. There are now programs to help with vaccinations. The goal of these programs is to administer three doses of DPI to 80% of a determined population. The programs also want to increase funding, strengthen government health systems and implement new technology and vaccinations Miller, Sentz, 2006).
References:
Miller, M., & Sentz, J. (2006). Vaccine-preventable disease. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2284/
Hi Amber, Interesting post. What is it like working with a group of children with autism? I wonder what the rate of autism is in Africa, especially among non-vaccinated populations.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber,
ReplyDeleteThank-you for your comment on my Blog. I think you will be a great mother. I really enjoyed your posting on vaccinations, and how they relate to Autism. I had to take a class through my agency last year, and I remember doing a little research on Autism and whether or not it is related to the MMR vaccinations. I do remember there was definitely conflicting information on whether or not it is actually related to the vaccinations. Since you've had first-hand experience working with these children and their parents where do you stand on this debate, I'm sure as a mother to be it's something you have considered yourself, I know I did when I was pregnant with my last daughter. I do have one cousin whose first son was diagnosed with autism, and she is definitely one of those parents that doesn't believe that there is any connection between the disease and the MMR vaccinations. And that it is why she also never even considered once to not vaccinate her second son, who by the way is fine to this day and never developed the disease of autism. Great job!
Sylvia