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Protect your children. Get all their
shots on time. The shots are free.
Call your local public health unit or doctor to make an appointment.
Janet thought 2½-year-old Nathan was too quiet during a car ride, so she looked in the rearview mirror to check on him. Nathan's eyes were rolling to the back of his head, the entire left side of his body was limp, and he was drooling. Janet rushed Nathan to the hospital. The doctors said Nathan had a stroke and it was likely from having chickenpox six months before. Nathan had not had his shot for chickenpox.
The risk of having a stroke within a year of having the chickenpox is rare, but does happen. A stroke results in brain injury, and about 12 per cent of children who have strokes die. Due to his stroke, Nathan has problems learning, he will have lifelong problems moving his body on the left side, and the muscles in his left arm sometimes jerk out of control.
Nathan's injury could have been prevented if he had received the chickenpox vaccine. Vaccines save children from serious illness, injury, and death. Be sure to get all your children their shots on time.
It is true. If your child is immune to the disease they cannot get sick and pass the disease onto others who cannot get the shots. Your child's shots will help protect:
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Your family and neighbours |
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Young babies and older adults |
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People who are sick |
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Every disease is able to do harm, sometimes for life. Meningococcal disease, for example, can cause deafness, kidney damage, loss of the use of an arm, hand or leg, and one in 10 people can die. Vaccines prevent diseases from doing harm.
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What places will your child visit in 5, 10 or 20 years? Check the list below: |
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| Daycare or preschool School - Kindergarten to Grade 12 College or university Waiting room at a doctor's office |
An airplane or bus Summer camp Community centre, concert or event |
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These are all crowded places where germs are spread easily. Vaccinating your child now ensures a healthier future.
It is safer to get shots than to get sick. Here are things you should know:
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Shots have kept thousands of people from getting diseases. This chart lists diseases your child can be protected from. See how many Canadians get sick now, compared to before shots existed. For more details, see the Canadian Immunization Guide at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/puclicat/cig-cgi/vaccine_e.html. |
Shots work very well if most parents choose shots. But, at times around the world large groups of parents have chosen not to get their children vaccinated. When this happens, the diseases come back quickly and lots of children get sick and some die. This has happened in Canada, England, Sweden, Japan and other countries. Get all your child's shots. Get them on time.
Public Health Agency of Canada: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/index.html
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/microsite/microsite.jsp?id=75918
Canadian Paediatric Society: www.caringforkids.cps.ca/
More BC HealthFiles on childhood immunization:
#50a Your Baby's Immune System and Vaccines
#50c Childhood Vaccines are Safe
#50d Childhood Vaccines: What is in the Vaccines and Why
#50e Getting Ready for Your Child's Shots
#50f Childhood Vaccines: Questions and Answers
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