Childhood immunizations are a vital part of children's health care.
National Infant Immunization Week, it's a great time for parents to review their children's immunization records. American Academy of Pediatrics statistics indicate that 33 percent of America's children under the age of 2 have not been properly immunized. Academy pediatricians attribute this lapse to complacency fostered by the success of contagious disease vaccines over the last 30 years. Following licensure of a measles vaccine in 1963, the incidence of measles declined by more than 98 percent. The Pediatric staff at the Naval Medical Center advises parents that every visit to a clinic is an opportunity to update their children's immunization status.