Frederick Uncut: Why vaccinations are still a public health priority

Feb. 18--An outbreak of measles in Clark County, Washington, has provided more fuel to an ongoing national debate about the role of vaccinations and the freedoms from immunization requirements.

More than 40 cases have been confirmed in Washington, and the state's governor, Jay Inslee, has declared a state of emergency. So far this year, measles cases have been confirmed in 10 states across the country.

This week, Frederick Uncut producer Wyatt Massey spoke with Kurt Seetoo of the Maryland Department of Health Center for Immunization to learn more about the importance of vaccines. The center oversees various immunization and vaccination programs in the state, such as the Vaccines for Children Program.

"Vaccinations are probably the best way to protect against any of these vaccine-preventable diseases," Seetoo said. "Vaccines have been shown to be very safe and effective and so we want to make sure that we protect against any of these preventable diseases that may occur in the state."

Seetoo explained why "herd immunity" is important for public health and how his organization works against the misconceptions related to the procedures. While many of the diseases children are vaccinated against have been declared eradicated in the United States, such as measles and polio, it is necessary to continue vaccination programs because many of those diseases continue in other countries, Seetoo said.

"We want to make sure that we continue to vaccinate here because of the fact that it is still circulating in other countries and there is a whole lot of international travel nowadays," he said.

Later in the episode, Frederick News-Post health reporter Heather Mongilio discusses flu season in the county and how the current season compares with previous years. Then, a member of the podcast goes to get the flu vaccination.

To hear the latest episode of Frederick Uncut, go to http://www.fnppodcasts.com/frederick-uncut/.

Follow Wyatt Massey on Twitter: @News4Mass.

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