Local Doctor Says Many People Are Not Keeping Up With Immunizations
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Whooping cough continues to spread in the region partly because people haven't kept up to date on immunizations. A local doctor says people need protection from other diseases or they too could make a comeback.
Patients may be getting lax about immunization booster shots according to Dr. Russel Applegate, chairman of pediatrics at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, and he says that can be dangerous.
"We could have an outbreak of measles which has happened in other parts of the U.S." he says. "Chicken pox is not a totally innocent disease and people have gotten very sick from chicken pox."
And there's also polio which hasn't been seen for decades, but he says if the protection isn't there, the diseases can flourish and kill.
Children are given booster shots for these at age four, but if you're not sure if you received it, you can get the booster or have blood drawn testing to see if you do have immunity.
