20
Jan
2012

Protect Infants Now: Meningitis Awareness and Prevention

categories: Memoir

One of the hardest decisions I faced after giving birth to Squishy was deciding whether or not I was going to get him vaccinated. At first, I was unaware that I could pick and choose which vaccines he could get, which is what scared me in the first place. I wanted to have control over which vaccines my son was getting, and I was glad to know that I did. There were definitely some vaccines that I knew he could do without, like the flu shot, and others that I knew he couldn’t, like DTaP (having suffered from whopping cough myself during my pregnancy).

Another vaccine that I think is really important when it comes to deciding on vaccinating your children is the Meningococcal vaccine which aids to prevent Meningitis. Meningitis is a serious illness that starts out like the flu, but progresses into an infection that covers the brain and spinal cord in a very short amount of time. One in 16 will die from the disease and those who survive may be faced with limb amputation, paralysis, strokes, brain damage and more. Babies are at risk of catching Meningitis because of their weak immune systems, and so it is very important that parents make the decision of whether or not they want to include this vaccine when their child is born.

One thing that parents don’t know is that this disease is highly preventable! Meningitis Angels is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising awareness about meningitis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, with their Protect Infants Now (PIN) campaign. The PIN campaign urges the CDC to recommend that infants be routinely vaccinated against meningitis. You can participate in the fight against meningitis by signing the online PIN petition through Meningitis Angels.

I know that a lot of parents have opposing views about vaccines, and that’s okay. The important thing is to become educated about meningitis and how it may effect your children, infants especially. As a new mom, I was so worried about my son’s health so I made sure to read up on information about protecting his health from the start. Don’t be afraid to ask your child’s doctor any questions you may have about meningitis.

Check out the informational video about Meningtis Angels below.

You can also learn more about Meningitis Angels and the Protect Infants Now campaign by vising their website.

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.

2 Comments on Protect Infants Now: Meningitis Awareness and Prevention

  1. Sue
    January 20, 2012 at 8:28 pm (488 days ago)

    Thank you for sharing this information. My daughter was a recipient of a heart from a Meningitis Angel – another infant died of meningitis and its (I believe it was a he, but that is not for sure) family made the choice to give the heart to my daughter, who was in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that other family went through and I would wish it on no other family. In addition, I am now a parent to an immune-compromised little girl, so vaccinations have become very important in our lives. So, thanks for sharing this information! I hope every parent becomes educated on the risks and rewards of vaccinations such as this one.

    Reply

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