A friend of mine was born in Ethiopia during the time of the Ethiopian Civil War.  Both her parents died during that time and a result left her and her siblings as orphans.  Though this would be devastating to most, she said she has hardly any recollection of them (she was 5 at the time).  She told me that she does not remember anything prior to the day that a man walked over to her and her sisters and told them they would be coming to live with him and his wife. From there, they relocated to Germany and she remembers growing up in a loving and warm home.  As a result of losing her parents early, she has made a point of being a part of every aspect of her children's lives.  She says that she never knows when her last day will be and she wants her children to remember the best about her.

One region of the world that I am interested in knowing more about is Syria.  For nearly seven years, the war in Syria has taken the lives of millions of people and approximately one million children have been orphaned due to this (Javaid, 2017).  To me, this is more than a Syrian problem; it is a human problem.  Some of the images that I will never be able to get out of my head are that of the little boy whose body had washed ashore after he drowned and that of another little boy who was sitting in an ambulance after an air-strike caused damage to his home.  I often wonder what has to be done to put a stop to things while preventing more mass casualties of the citizens there.  And how far is too far when other nations get involved in solving problems that are occurring in other countries.  That may step a little bit into the political realm but it is seriously something to think about.

Javaid, O. B. (2017).  A million children orphaned by the Syrian war.  Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/syria-unicef-warns-dangers-facing-war-orphans-171115165757024.html

The Importance of Immunizations

The debate on immunizations has been a subject of contention over the last few years.  Today, many parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children, whether for religious beliefs or the belief that vaccinations are unnecessary or harmful to the health of their children.  They still do it but really question whether or not it is the best thing for their children.  This topic is meaningful to me for a couple of different reasons.  The first is because I am a parent and strongly believe in community immunity.  Vaccines.gov states that, “If a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak.”  This means that infants and pregnant women (two groups who are usually ineligible for certain vaccinations) can be protected from the outbreak of diseases because they are contained.  This is an important factor for the overall health of millions of Americans.  The other reason is because I work with children.  In community care, children easily spread germs.  If there is a chance to prevent any outbreaks that can be prevented by vaccinations, I am on board (for the health of the children and the adults that care for them). 

In the United States, vaccination rates are higher.  In Ethiopia, as of 2011, death rates among infants were one of the highest in the world.  At that time, “infant and under-five mortality rates were 59 and 88 per 1,000 live births, respectively” (Gurmu et al, 2016, p. 2307).  Although the rate for that country was much lower than in previous years, that is still considerably high.  According to Gurmu (2016), “Child morbidity and mortality in that country occurs mainly due to vaccine preventable diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, measles and neonatal causes,” (p. 2307).  On the other hand, in the United States, vaccination rates are higher.  “The decrease in mortality from tetanus and pertussis [alone] that has been directly attributed to vaccination has been estimated to be 99.2% and 99.3%, respectively.” (Ventola, 2016).  In Ethiopia, parents may not have access to the tools and materials that parents in more developed countries have access to.  In the United States specifically, we have access to health care that provides coverage of vaccinations as well as the ability to do our own research and draw our own conclusions about vaccinations.  Education is the most important factor.

Because I work within Air Force Child and Youth Programs, I know that even the slightest outbreak can affect the overall mission.  It is a requirement that all children enrolled be vaccinated.  The only exemptions are for allergies or religious reasons.  If there is an outbreak, those individuals must be excluded from programs until the outbreak has subsided.  The outbreak of a preventable disease could greatly affect the mission if children are affected and not allowed into the programs.  As far as the effect that this has on the future of my career, I eventually want to be in a position where I can help implement or enforce policies pertaining to Air Force.  Conducting research will help me be better informed so that I can make the best possible decision for the children and families that we provide care for on a daily basis.

References

2014.  Report shows how 20-year US immunization program spares

millions of children from diseases recent measles outbreaks underscore importance of sustaining high vaccination coverage.  States News Service.

Community immunity (“herd immunity”).  Retrieved from

https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/index.html

Gurmu, E., Dula, E. (2016).  Factors influencing children’s full

immunization in Ethiopia.  African Population Studies 30(2), p. 2306-2317.

Importance of vaccines:  Top 10 reasons to protect children through

vaccination.  Retrieved from http://www.vaccineinformation.org/vaccines-save-lives/

Ventola, C. L. (2016, Jul). Immunization in the United States:

Recommendations, Barriers, and Measures to Improve Compliance.

The birth of my daughter, Laila, was an interesting one.  At 30 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital due to pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure and rapid weight gain.  From there, my doctor told me we would take things day-by-day.  Two weeks later, during the nurses’ routine monitoring of her heartbeat, we witnessed her heart rate slow down to almost nothing then it would build back up again.  They continued to monitor to see if everything improved and after 24 hours of the same thing happening, they decided that June 16, 2008 would be her birthday.  I was mortified! I wasn’t prepared to welcome a baby home but the doctor, nurses and anesthesiologist were all wonderful.  They kept me calm and helped me through the process of figuring out all of the last minute details!  Once I’d been given my epidural, it seemed like only a matter of minutes.  I remember my husband and parents and sister gathering around me to say a prayer and shortly after, I was headed into the delivery room for a Caesarian section; the doctor decided he would not put Laila through labor since they did not know the cause of her heart beat declining and increasing.  Things went pretty quickly as the doctors explained what they were doing and after some pressure and a few more moments of anticipation, Laila was delivered and crying with a healthy set of lungs!  As soon as they rolled her over to me, I said to my husband, “Oh my goodness, she looks exactly like you!”  That was the scariest and most exciting day of my life.  Once I was back in recovery, I remember the nurse telling me about the medicine pump that would alleviate any pain.  After that, everything was a blur.

According to the CDC website, the number of Cesarean deliveries is 1,272,503, making the percentage of all deliveries by Cesarean 32.0%.  I chose Canada as the region to compare my experience to (https://www.babycenter.ca/a160/caesarean-section-basics gives a thorough explanation).  The process in Canada is not different than my own experience.  Although I was stressed because I did not want to be cut open, the experience was seamless and I was reassured the whole way.

I chose this example because it was an extremely important day in my life.  When it comes to birth, I think it’s the very beginning of development.  Shortly after birth, depending on circumstances, a mother and her new baby begin the bonding process.  The relationships between children and their parents is a major factor in development as well.  Parents are their children’s first teacher and the bond established at birth is an integral piece.

Births – Method of delivery.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm