The nursing team at LIS/LIK consists of two nurses who work in collaboration with, and as part of, the Student Support Services Department. The nursing team works in partnership with the school to create a safe and healthy environment for all, providing both health care and health education using best practice and up-to-date guidance from government health authorities. The fundamental role of the nursing team is to improve children and young people’s health and well-being.
We are located on the ground floor in the LIS building next to the Primary Principal’s office. We provide care and support at both LIS and LIK sites, throughout the school day.
Advice for Parents – Vaccinations: some useful information
Until recently, vaccinations in Germany were not compulsory but instead, strongly advised by all health authorities. However, towards the end of 2019, the German parliament voted to make the measle vaccination compulsory for all children and staff in kindergartens and schools, in response to a global rise in cases of the disease. Thus, the Measles Protection Act (Masernschutzgestz) commenced on Sunday 1 March 2020.
The reason behind the Measles Protection Act (Masernschutzgestz)
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that a 95% vaccination coverage of the population is necessary to prevent a mass outbreak. Before widespread measles vaccination began in the early 1960s, the disease killed an estimated 2.6 million people globally every year. That declined to 110,000 deaths in 2017.
However, 2018 saw a rise in measles cases in Europe, where incidence of the disease increased by 350% as compared to 2017. This occurred due to an increase in people opting-out or missing-out on getting vaccinated.
What the German Vaccination Commission recommends
The German Vaccination Commission recommends immunisation against the following diseases:
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria
- Whooping Cough (pertussis)
- Haemophilus Influenzae b (Hib)
- Polio (poliomyelitis)
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae)
- Rotavirus
- Meningococcus C (Neisseria meningitidis)
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Chickenpox (varicella)
The German Vaccination Commission also recommends the following:
- For elderly people and pregnant women, inoculation against the flu (influenza).
- For young women, vaccination against cervical cancer (triggered by the human papillomavirus or HPV).
- For people living in areas where ticks are prevalent and such people spend a lot of time outside, inoculation against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) which is a viral disease that leads to inflammation of the brain, meninges and spinal cord.
What are vaccinations?
Vaccination is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases, before they come into contact with them. Most vaccines are given by an injection, but some are given orally (by mouth) or sprayed into the nose. Vaccines protect against more than 25 debilitating or life-threatening diseases such as those listed above. According to WHO statistics, they prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year. However, if people stop having vaccines, it is possible for infectious diseases to rapidly spread again.
How does a vaccine work?
A vaccine works by training the immune system to recognize and combat pathogens, either viruses or bacteria. To do this, certain molecules from the pathogen must be introduced into the body to trigger an immune response.
These molecules are called antigens, and they are present on all viruses and bacteria. By injecting these antigens into the body, the immune system can safely learn to recognize them as hostile invaders, produce antibodies, and remember them for the future. If the bacteria or virus reappears, the immune system will recognize the antigens immediately and attack aggressively well before the pathogen can spread and cause sickness.
Why should I get vaccinated?
Without vaccines, we are at risk of serious illness and disability from diseases listed above. Many of these diseases can be life threatening.
Although some of these diseases have become uncommon, the germs that cause them continue to circulate in some or all parts of the world. Infectious diseases can easily cross borders and infect anyone who is not protected.
Two key reasons to get vaccinated are to protect ourselves and to protect those around us. Not everyone can be vaccinated, such as very young babies, those who are seriously ill or people with certain allergies. For these people, they depend on others being vaccinated to ensure they are also safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Currently, the majority of children receive their vaccines on time. However, nearly 20 million worldwide still miss out, putting them at risk of ill health, serious diseases, disability or death.
For more information
The Permanent Vaccination Commission (“Ständige Impfkommission” or “STIKO”), which is made up of various medical experts and is associated with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), regularly publishes recommended vaccination schedules. Please also look at the information offered on impfen-info.de which is run by the Federal Agency for Health Education (BZgA), thus it is written in German.
Finally, if you intend to travel outside of Germany you may need and be prescribed further vaccinations to go abroad. Please find out more on tropeninstitut.de.
References
- World Health Organization (WHO) – https://www.who.int/
- Robert Koch Institute (RKI) – https://www.rki.de/EN/Home/homepage_node.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/
- Bundesministerium für Gesundheit – www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/impfpflicht.html