Getting childhood shots stressed

To the editor:

The most basic instinct of a parent is to protect, and one of the most effective ways we can do this is through immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vaccines are the most successful and cost-effective public health tools for preventing serious disease and death.

Once common diseases have become distant memories for most Americans.

Yet recent outbreaks of whooping cough (pertussis) suggest that preventable childhood diseases have no been eliminated. History has proven that complacency can lead to epidemics.

National Infant Immunization Week is April 24-30. The week highlights the importance of timely immunizations for children age 2 or younger.

Children deserve a health start by immunizing them against childhood diseases.

Parents and health-care providers need to work together to ensure that all children are fully immunized. Talk to your child's health-care provider about the childhood immunization schedule. Following it is one of the best ways parents can protect their children.

Dr. ERIC E. WHITAKER, Illinois Department of Public Health, Springfield, Ill.