IMMUNIZATIONS2
Immunizations
According to Dara Brodsky and Mary Ann Ouellette (2008), vaccination plays a
significantly important role in the acquisition of active immunity. Getting active immunity from
vaccination is beneficial because the recipient does not experience the actual disease or its
complications. Passive immunity can be conferred through placental transfer of maternal
antibodies. However, since premature infants do not receive passive immunity, and, therefore,
lack adequate immune defense, they are more likely to experience complications of vaccine
preventable diseases. For that reason, it is absolutely important that premature infants receive
appropriate active immunity through making sure that they receive the complete schedule of
immunization during an outbreak of a disease.
Also, Karen J. Tietze (2011) maintains that vaccines are important for the health of a
child because they prevent the child from contracting common communicable diseases.
Therefore, pharmacists and other medical professionals need to obtain and maintain an accurate
immunization record of a child whenever there is a disease outbreak. Equally, vaccines can be
used to treat allergies and adverse drug reactions, and, for that reason, quick measures need to be
taken in case a person or a child needs immunization.
In regard to James M. Rippe (2011), vaccines play an integral role in the preclusion of
preventable infectious diseases. In fact, vaccines have effected a relative reduction in the cases of
various infections such as small pox, diphtheria, measles, polio and other diseases that affect
children at a young age. Vaccines need to be given whenever there is an outbreak of a disease or
in case a person is at risk of a preventable infectious disease because immunization and vaccines
have been ranked as one of the greatest public health achievements in the 20
th
century.
