Pediatricians measles protection and fewer antibiotics

Pediatricians demand national vaccination plan

06/13/2014

Paediatricians in Germany are increasingly committed to a uniform vaccination plan for children. As the „dpa“ currently reports, criticize the professional association of paediatricians, that all efforts for a higher vaccination rate would not have been successful. Instead, many parents would still not vaccinate their children, causing the so-called „herd immunity“ not given. „Only with additional measures can we achieve the goal of eradicating measles by 2015“, said the president of the Professional Association of Children and Youth Physicians, Wolfram Hartmann.

Appeals to voluntariness were not enough
For years, paediatricians have been vehemently appealing to parents to have their children vaccinated against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and polio. This is considered essential for a child to be able to provide adequate early protection against serious infections and prevent the outbreak of dangerous diseases. But many parents are still critical of vaccination and do not want to vaccinate their children. Loud „dpa“-Communication a bitter disappointment for the professional association of paediatricians: „All calls for voluntary action in the last two decades have not been enough“, said the president of the Professional Association of Children and Youth Physicians, Wolfram Hartmann.

Herd immunity only given at a vaccination rate of 95 percent
According to Hartmann, very small children in particular would have an increased risk of infection, since the vaccination rate currently stands at only 80 percent, and thus the so-called „herd immunity“ not achieved. By that is meant that effect in which immunity to a pathogen, either by vaccination or by a surviving infection, is so widespread within the population that within it „herd“ also non-immune persons are protected. According to the pediatrician, however, a vaccination coverage of 95 percent is required to ensure that a pathogen can no longer spread within a population. Accordingly, to protect the children before admission to a day care center should always be a vaccination certificate, Hartmann's demand. An important point for the expert, because visiting a day-care center is absolutely necessary for many girls and boys nowadays: „One fifth of preschool children now have urgent educational needs, often because they lack development incentives at home“. However, this situation should not be due to speech or ergo therapies „medicalized“ Instead, funding from the medical field should be outsourced and embedded more in educational institutions.

Antibiotics in Intensive Livestock Farming: Underestimated Risk Factor for Children?
Pediatricians also believe that the massive use of antibiotics in intensive livestock farming could be risky for children's health. A subject that should not be underestimated, according to the scientific director of the 44th Children and Youth Physicians' Day, Prof. dr. med. Klaus-Michael Keller, under certain circumstances in the past, too little was taken into account. „The economic interests of the animal industry are related to the health of our children, who may be affected by unwanted exposure to antibiotics through food and the like. to undergo a change in their intestinal flora“, explains Keller. As a result, the children are exposed to an increased health risk, because the early childhood imprint of the immune system by the composition of the intestinal flora, for example, is closely related to allergies or inflammatory bowel disease. Accordingly, paediatricians continue to be challenged to work for their little patients' health: in a small and [...] large context, we must steadfastly and continuously bring in our expertise to identify early threats to children's health Possibility to avoid, abolish or improve“, so Kellell's appeal. (No)