CHARLOTTE - If the Mecklenburg County Health Department realizes its dream, every child in Mecklenburg County will be safe from vaccine-preventable childhood disease. 

"Today, children can be vaccinated against measles, mumps. whooping cough, and seven other dangerous childhood diseases," said Dr. Stephen R. Keener, Medical Director of the Department of Public Health.

"These diseases can cause pain, fever, rash, severe cough, hearing loss, blindness, crippling, brain damage and even death," he said. "The news is that the vaccines are safe, effective, and available at no charge at our local health departments."

Since 1993, North Carolina has provided children with immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases at no charge through local health departments, community health centers and private doctors' offices. Some private doctors and clinics charge an administration fee.

In 1994, the federal government joined in with the Vaccines for Children program to assist states in a nationwide immunization effort.

Health officials have estimated that every dollar spent on childhood immunization saves 26 dollars later in direct and indirect medical cost. Early immunization also saves parents untold lost work time by staying home with a disease-stricken child.

Dr. Keener said that while many parents understand the need to have their children vaccinated, "some parents don't understand the critical need to vaccinate early, when it will do the most good."

The immunization schedule calls for children to receive shots at birth, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 15 months of age for protection against the following diseases: hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib disease), polio, red measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) and varicella (chickenpox).

For more information about childhood immunization, and which shots your child needs at which ages, contact the Mecklenburg County Health Department 704-353-1189, your clinic or private physician's office, or dial 1-800-FOR-BABY.

CHILDHOOD DISEASES THAT VACCINES CAN PREVENT

Diphtheria

• Easily spread through coughing or sneezing.
• Can interfere with swallowing and cause suffocation.
• Can cause heart failure or paralysis if allowed to go untreated.

Tetanus

• Enters the body through a wound.
• Produces a poison which attacks the body's nervous system.
• In the United States, 3 out of every 10 people who get tetanus die from it.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

• Highly contagious.
• Causes spells of coughing that can interfere with eating, drinking, and breathing.
• In the United States, about 65 percent of reported cases occur in children under five, and half of those are infants less than one year old.

Polio

• Serious cases cause paralysis and death.
• Mild cases cause fever, soar throat, nausea, headaches, and stomach aches.
• Pain and stiffness in the neck, back, and legs also occur.

Hepatitis B Virus

• HBV infection is spread within families and communities.
• Infection at birth or during early childhood can result in long-term chronic illness.

Measles

• Highly contagious.
• Causes ear infections and pneumonia in 1 out of every 20 children who get it.
• Causes encephalitis that can lead to convulsions, deafness, or mental retardation in 1 out of every 1,000 children who get it.
• Of every 1,000 children who get measles, 1 or 2 will die.

Mumps

• Causes fever, headaches, and inflammation of the salivary glands, resulting in swelling of cheeks and jaw.
• 1 out of every 10 who get mumps may develop meningitis (inflammation of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord). Sometimes causes encephalitis.

Rubella (German Measles,three day measles)

• Most serious in pregnant women; there is an 80 percent chance that it will cause defects in an unborn child if infection occurs early in pregnancy.
• Symptoms include mild discomfort, slight fever for 24 hours, and a rash on the face and neck lasting 2 or 3 days.

Haemophilus Influenzae type b

• Strikes 1 child out of 200 before the fifth birthday.
• Causes pneumonia and infections of the blood, joints, bones, soft tissues, throat, and the covering of the heart.
• Causes meningitis in about 12,000 children per year; about 1 in 4 suffers permanent brain damage, and about 1 in 20 dies.

Varicella (Chickenpox)

• Common childhood disease.
• Can be serious in infants and children
• 1200 people are hospitalized each year.
• 100 people die each year as a result of complications of the disease.
• Now required for all children born after 4/01/01
• Free at the Health Department for children through age 18.