(NAPSA)—Simply put, vaccines save lives. Yet despite the overwhelming scientific evidence proving the safety and benefits of vaccines, there are still parents who question the value of immunizing their children. “Thanks to our nation’s successful vaccination program, parents today have been spared from witnessing the devastating effects of many diseases, but parents need to know that vaccine-preventable diseases are still out there and can be just a plane ride away,” explains Amy Pisani, MS, executive director of Every Child By Two (ECBT), a nonprofit organization that promotes childhood immunizations. Vaccinating your baby will not only keep him healthy, but it could help protect other children, too. That’s the word from researchers who say that disease risk—for children and the community— increases dramatically when states allow schools to enroll nonvaccinated children. Dr. Daniel Salmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Program says, “Children who are exempted from school mandates in the United States are 35 times more likely to contract measles than children whoget their vaccines.” In fact, in 2008, America experienced the largest measles outbreak in over a decade. Researchers traced 90 percent of cases to unvaccinated children or children whose vaccination sta- tus was unknown. The CDC confirmed that nearly two-thirds of those affected during the outbreak were purposefully not vaccinated against measles. Fears about the safety of the vaccine and/or lack of awareness of the serious risk of not fully vaccinating for these diseases contributed to the outbreak. ee @ Doctors say vaccinating a baby protects both the child and the community. “Some parents are requesting nonmedical exemptions from their children’s immunizations because of misinformation about vaccines often found in the media and on the Internet,” says Ms. Pisani. “That misinformation may encourage parents to deny or delay vaccines, leaving their children and their community at risk for disease.” To help spread the word on the importance and safety of immunizations, ECBT teamed up with actress Amanda Peet to launch the Vaccinate Your Baby campaign. The core of this campaign is the www.vaccinateyourbaby.org Web site, which guides parents to credible, easy-to-understand, scientific research on vaccines. It also includes expert opinions and straightforward answers to parents’ questions about the safety of our nation’s vaccines. “When you vaccinate your baby, you’re not only protecting your child, you’re also doing your part to help stop the spread of these diseases in your community and worldwide,” says Ms. Pisani. “It’s important that parents get the facts about immunizations so they can be the best advocate for their children’s health.” For more information, visit www.vaccinateyourbaby.org.
