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Jlortlanò (Observer____________________ September is, 2010
[ERS___________
Season for vaccinations
W ith the back-to-school season here, it’s tim e to
schedule vaccinations - for parents and children.
V accines play a m ajor role in preventing and protect-
D ixion ’s Rib Pit
ing adults and children against infec­
tions and diseases. They w ork by
fooling our immune system into think­
ing that a real infection is in our bod­
ies. Then, if w e are exposed to the
infection at a later date, the im m une
system is already prepared to protect
our bodies against it. Side effects are
by L arry L ucas usually short-term and not nearly as
serious as the diseases or infections
they protect us against.
V accines are particularly critical
for you n g children. If y o u ’re the
parent o f a you n g child, it can seem
1 ike you are at the doctor every w eek
fo r routine check-ups and sch ed ­
uled vaccines or blood tests. U n ­
derstandably, the process can be
stressful but keeping up w ith the
p rescribed vaccine schedule is criti­
cally im portant. W ithout v accin a­
tions, childhood diseases m ost o f
us h a v e n ’t heard about in decades
- like w hooping cough, m easles and
1
between 19th & 20th on Alberta Street
503-753-0868
Hours
12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tueday thru Saturday
Sunday after 3 p.m.
Dinners $9.50
Sandwiches $8.50
polio - could com e back.
Som e parents have m istakenly
been lead to believe that there is a
co n n ectio n betw een vaccines and
autism - though a 2009 federal court
ruling and countless scientific stu d ­
ies have found no connection b e­
tw een the tw o - and as a result have
refused vaccinations for th eir ch il­
dren. T he consequences o f inac­
tion can be serious and far reaching.
For exam ple, earlier this year, an
in v estig atio n by the C en ters for
D isease C o n tro l and P rev en tio n
found that a m easles outbreak in
San D iego w as fueled by kids w hose
parents refused to v accin ate them ,
thus endangering o th er children too
y o ung to be vaccinated.
B ut vaccines a re n ’t ju s t for kids
- and som e o f the vaccines you
received as a child require a second
dose. A ccording to the C D C , adults
need a second dose, o r a booster, o f
certain vaccines that lose their ef­
fectiveness over time. Som e o f these
boosters include tetanus - w hich is
reco m m en d ed every 10 years - and
w h ooping cough. D uring your next
visit to the d o c to r’s office, be sure
to ask w hat v accin es y o u ’ll need in
the next y e ar and schedule them , if
n ecessary .
A s w e head into fall, d o n ’t forget
the v accin atio n you and your ch il­
dren need every year: an influenza -
o r flu - shot. N ot only does it protect
against the flu, but it also helps
prevent m ore serious health issues
like pn eu m o n ia that can result from
the flu.
V accines play an im portant role
in k e e p in g A m e r ic a ’s c h ild re n
healthy as they begin a new school
year.
Larry Lucas is a retired vice presi­
dent for Pharm aceutical R esearch
and M anufacturers o f A m erica.
And Soul Food
/ n us once you It come back again
Suicides Higher Than Average
_____________________________________________________
State looks at risk factors
NEW
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m
you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up)
O regon's suicide rate is 35 p e r­
cent hig h er than the national av er­
age. T he rate is 15.2 suicides per
100,000 p eople co m p ared to the
national rate o f 11.3 p er 100,000.
A fter d ecreasin g in the 1990s,
suicide rates have been increasing
significantly since 2000, according
to a n ew report, "Suicides in O r­
egon: T rends and R isk Factors,"
from O regon Public H ealth. T he re­
port also details recom m endations
to prev en t the nu m b er o f suicides in
the state.
"Suicide is one o f the m ost p er­
sistent yet preventable public health
problem s. It is the leading cause o f
death from in ju rie s -m o re than even
from car crashes. E ach y e ar 550
people in O regon die from suicide
and 1,800 p eople are h ospitalized
for non-fatal attem pts," said Lisa
M illet, principal investigator.
The single m ost identifiable risk
factor associated w ith suicide is de­
pression. M any people are able to
m anage their depression; how ever,
stress and crisis can overw helm their
ability to cope successfully.
S tresses such as from jo b loss,
loss o f hom e, loss o f fam ily and
friends, life transitions and also the
stress veterans can experience re­
turning hom e from deploym ent - all
increase the likelihood o f suicide
am ong those w ho are already at risk.
"M any p eople often keep their
d epression a secret for fear o f dis­
crim ination.
U nfortunately, fam ilies, com m u­
n itie s , b u s in e s s e s , s c h o o ls and
oth er institutions often d iscrim inate
against people w ith d epression or
o th er m ental illness. T hese people
w ill continue to die n eedlessly un­
less they have support and effec­
tive com m unity-based m ental health
care," said M illet.