Free Child Immunization Reminder Website Debuts

It may the most important appointment you never keep – and it can be potentially devastating to your children.

Ensuring their vaccines are fully up to date has become as complicated as juggling your daily schedule.

Some needles last years, others have to be refreshed every few months. And making sure parents know which is which  – and when –  can be a confusing jumble for even the most well organized.

A recent study shows 90 percent of parents of two-year-olds are convinced their kids’ shots are up-to-date, when only 61 percent of them actually are.

“I always remind parents about the importance of having their kids receive all the doses for the recommended vaccines,” relates Dr. Dion Neame of McMaster University in a statement. “In my practice, I’ve seen children who were unnecessarily ill and some of them very seriously. No child should have to suffer from a vaccine-preventable disease.”

So how can you keep track without running back and forth to your physician every week?

“We really just count on the pediatrician to let us know,” confesses Lauren Brown, a mother of several young children. “We make sure we come for all of our preset appointments.”

It doesn’t have to be a problem. A new website has been launched to do it for you.

The so-called “Mother Of All Immunization Trackers” allows parents to set up a custom made online record of their child’s shots and then receive an email two weeks before the next one is due.

The service also offers explanations of what the shots are for, how they work and why your child needs them. And best of all, it’s free.

In the end, though, the responsibilities are yours. It’s up to parents to ultimately keep track and make sure their kids take their best shots.

But if you’d like to sign up for the reminder, click here.

Note: the service is intended for Canadian residents only. Other countries may have different immunization standards or needs.

And the Immunization Tracker Tool isn’t for everyone. If you have a child in one of the so-called high risk groups, you’re advised to beware.

Those include youngsters suffering from:

• Sickle cell anemia,
• Immuno-suppression related to disease (HIV, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s, multiple myeloma) or therapy (e.g. high dose or prolonged use of systemic steroids),
• Cancer ,
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic disease (like diabetes, cardiac, cardio-respiratory, cirrohsis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C)
• Chronic renal insufficiency or nephrotic syndrome
• Stem-cell or organ transplants or
• Children who have no spleen or a malfunctioning spleen