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Technology can help us be healthier.
With measles outbreaks happening across the United States, it has called into question the vaccinations that individuals are or are not currently taking. We haven’t heard about the measles in years, but it has suddenly reappeared and we weren’t ready for it.
Vaccinations, in the long run, not only save lives, but they also save money. A recent study reported that the average vaccination for children without insurance costs about $30 a dose. The cost of not being vaccinated can run as high as a million dollars to clear the infection.
The problem with vaccinations isn’t that they don’t work, it’s that they’re a cultural no-no for many people. Because of the cultural backgrounds of some people, many young kids are not getting vaccinated, which is causing large health concerns.
Most Americans have been vaccinated for the common diseases that we have seen throughout the years. The more people are vaccinated, the less likely it is that a disease will break out within a group. The problem, however, is getting everyone vaccinated. This is where technology can step in.
There is a lack of access to complete immunization records in our country right now. As a result, people aren’t getting the proper vaccinations at the right time, which leads to outbreaks, like the measles, that we are experiencing today. The records that are being kept online are not communicating with each other like they should.
New proposals are being made to track all vaccination records of people in the country. This would allow for alerts for vaccinations to occur anywhere that you may be able to get them. All physicians need to be able to have the right to complete immunization data. Technology is slowly providing the opportunity for that to happen, but health care systems need to take the steps to invest time and money into this new sphere. It is our lives and theirs that are at stake.
