MATTAWA — The Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) is joining with hundreds of communities across the United States this week to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases.

“CBHA has an aggressive program in place to make sure babies born to our patients are immunized,” Dr. Al Atfeh, CBHA family practice physician said. “As the babies grow into toddlers and upward into their childhood years, they are given their age appropriate vaccines and booster shoots when needed.”

Dr. Atfeh stressed that immunizations play a critical role in protecting not only infants but also children, communities and public health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. Even though most infants and toddlers have received all recommended vaccines by age two, many under-immunized children remain, leaving the potential for outbreaks of disease.

“We are particularly concerned about outbreaks of Pertussis (whooping cough) among unvaccinated children and adults,” Dr. Atfeh said. “This occurred in surrounding counties several years ago, resulting in hospitalizations of young children and the death of an infant. We consider this a tragedy because Pertussis is a vaccine preventable disease.”

Dr. Atfeh said the CBHA has strategies in place at all of its clinics that have resulted in high immunization rates among both its staff and patients.

“We have schedules from the CDC that make it easy for us to keep our little patients, age birth through their sixth year, on track with their immunizations,” Dr. Atfeh said. “Every baby and small child’s personal health history is carefully researched and documented in their chart.”