| OCR Text |
Show Home School and byDr.DarylJ. McCarty Executive Secretary Utah Education Association Medical people are worried about a simple problem that can be as . deadly as lockjaw. It's apathy. You see, science has the tools to whip many diseases, but public health people are having a real difficulty overcoming public disinterest disin-terest in using those tools. Ask grandpa how things used to be. Only a few decades ago people died by the scores because they contracted diphtheria. Or polio. Immunization programs virtually eradicated those diseases, along with measles, German measles, whooping cough and even mumps. When the diseases disappeared, many people stopped worrying. When that happened, great numbers of parents neglected to have their children immunized. Of the nation's 52 million children who are 14 years of age or younger, approximately ap-proximately 20 million have not been adequately immunized im-munized against these childhood diseases. That's a genuinely serious situation. Since public schools bring large groups of people together, the classroom can be a center for contagion. Parents can prevent this, if only they will realize the seriousness of the situation. Measles-thought by many to be a harmless disease-can disease-can kill. Not only, that, measles is associated with brain damage, pneumonia, deafness, and mental retardation. Whooping cough can kill too. If you're a parent, you are the person most responsible for assuring that your child has been immunized. So call your doctor and ask the youngsters immunization record be checked. If immunization im-munization is needed, you should see that it's done. Various organizations will soon be sponsoring a statewide state-wide drive to make certain that 90 percent of Utah's children are completely protected against these diseases. If you greet this program with apathy, your child could suffer. |
