Keeping kids safe takes both instinct AND education

In that moment after birth when you look at your new baby for the first time, all you want to do is keep them safe forever…(okay, you also want to take a nap and maybe take some serious pain meds, too but THEN those instincts kick in! ). The instinct to protect our young is a trait that has been ingrained in mothers since time first began. It is not always easy to keep our children safe. There are accidents, illness, injury and countless other worries to protect them from. As a parent, however, we do our best and hope it is enough.

One easy way to protect our children from certain illnesses is through vaccination. I am a firm believer that vaccines CAN save lives. I feel that it is every parent’s responsibility to talk to their pediatrician in detail so that they understand the illnesses  AND the details of the vaccinations available for each disease.

Right now, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is traveling around the country seeking public input on whether infants two years and younger should be immunized against meningitis — a leading cause of preventable infant death in the U.S. Protect Infants Now (PIN)  would like you to check out their online petition and learn about what YOU can do to help spread awareness about this disease.

There is also a group called the  Meningitis Angels that educates the public, health professionals, child care facilities, schools and universities on not only meningitis but other vaccine preventable diseases  It is a national, non-profit organization founded in memory of Ryan Wayne Milley, the only child of Bob and Frankie Milley. Ryan’s life was taken at age 18, as a result of meningococcal meningitis/meningococcemia.

I would like to urge all parents to educate themselves about meningitis…both the disease AND the vaccination. Protecting our children may be instinctual but it can’t be done without educating ourselves.

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