Re: “Skipping the chickenpox shot increases risk nine times, study shows,” Jan. 5 news story.
We hope this piece encourages parents to vaccinate their children against chickenpox.
In the hours after this story was posted, we engaged in conversations with parents who wondered, “Why vaccinate against something that doesn’t kill you?”
A line from the article states the reasoning so well: “The reason to get vaccinated isn’t just personal health but also the protection of the community, including children who have compromised immune systems because of diseases such as HIV or leukemia.”
This point is one that cannot be overstated. We vaccinate to stop the spread of disease and lessen its effects.
I can’t imagine gambling with a child’s health, hoping that she is not the one who will get hospitalized due to chickenpox. I would want to spare my child the itchy misery of being sick with this disease. I would be devastated if my kid’s chickenpox infected a fragile grandparent or a child already sick with cancer.
Chickenpox is not a rite of passage; it’s a disease we can prevent. Choosing not to vaccinate a child, for anything other than health reasons, is choosing to allow the spread of disease to other children and vulnerable adults. It’s that simple.
Lydia McCoy is executive director of the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition.
