Experts discuss immunization at panel

An overwhelmingly low percentage of children under the age of two in the United States receive proper immunizations. To address this national problem, the American Medical Student Association's pre-med chapter at the University has adopted a national awareness project. About 25 students attended a meeting about childhood immunizations sponsored by AMSA and held on-campus last week. A panel of three experts gave presentations on the subject. "Our national project is a way to collectively address an issue such as childhood immunization," said Anu Sharma, president of the University's AMSA pre-med chapter and a College of General Studies student. "It becomes a real problem -- especially with so many children entering day care programs." Due to the easy accessibility of medical care today, people have begun to take preventative measures for granted, according to Barbara Watson, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and director of vaccine trials at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We need a strong government to kill a disease," said Watson, who spoke at the panel. "Cooperation is spelled in two letters: 'WE.'" She added that part of this problem stems from the fact that only 47 percent of all medical schools in the country teach immunization properly. According to Judith Thalheimer, who also spoke at the panel, pre-school children are most at risk. "Ninety to 100 percent of school-age children get the necessary immunizations," said Thalheimer, coordinator of the Immunization Action Plan for the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health. "The problem is that many kids are not getting the immunizations they need at the times they need them," she said. Communications Professor Robert Hornik, director of the Annenberg School for Communication's Center for International Health and Development Communications, also spoke on the international repercussions of childhood immunization problems.

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