Last night I was checking out Project Readon, which provides free captioning services to videos submitted by people. I picked the video, "Preventing Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants," from the FDA to sample so I could get an idea of the quality of the captioning. The FDA made this video because two implanted children who had not been properly vaccinated against meningitis, died last year. The captions said:
"A recent survey at Johns Hopkins reveal that despite repeated efforts to educate parents, up to 40 percent did not know their child's vaccination status. Now, this suggests that at least some cochlear implant patients are not getting vital preventive care that can reduce the risk of a potentially life-threatening illness."
The video was dated December 2007. I found the FDA web page that mentioned the Hopkins study and said that the study found that vaccination status was unknown for 43% of patients over age two. In my opinion, 40 percent (43%) is a high percentage. Hopkins surveyed only its own implant patients. Could that mean that the percentages could be just as bad or even worse at other implant centers? How many parents of implanted children are out there whose children have not been properly vaccinated? In the United States? What about other countries, where cochlear implants are growing just as rapidly?
Are more tragedies waiting in the wings because of parental failure to get their children vaccinated prior to receiving cochlear implants, and/or doctor failure to make sure the children have been vaccinated before authorizing surgery?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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4 comments:
The cochlear implant companies know of this. Advanced Bionics has taken steps to prevent meningitis in their patients. They sent out a letter this past fall to all their CI patients. This letter told them to get the vaccine and that Advanced Bionics would pay for it if the CI user's insurance did not. Sure enough, they paid for my vaccination. So there is some action being taken to prevent more tragedy. Perhaps it should have been done BEFORE implants were received but better late then never.
As shameful as it is for that high percentage of parents not knowing what shots their child has/hasn't had, I think it behooves the medical community to simply ask for proof of the child's having had the necessary shots; it's too much of a risk for the medical community NOT to ask as a matter of course while going thru the process leading up to implantation......it's just simply too risky not to ask a simple question.
Hi Jamie, I agree, more must be done to educate both parents and doctors about the importance of follow up meningitis vaccinations for kids with cochlear implants. The second booster is due 5 years after the first one. My daughter's pediatrician was smart, his staff put the month and date of when she was due for the booster in her medical charts.
I think there is a broader issue here. Doctors should be required to mail reminders of vital medical exams and vaccinations, e.g. Pap Smears, cancer screenings, etc. should all be regulated. Imagine the numbers of lives that can be saved through early diagnosis of diseases and appropriately timed vaccinations. If dentists send reminders, why can't physicians?
Meningitis vaccination should be done by All parents for ALL kids. Even deaf without the implant have a higher incidence of meningitis than the hearing population. This is a trajedy for all families affected. This is a horrible illness, with many potential side effects, including stroke and death. And it is easily preventable. Get vaccinated.
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