When I first had babies, long before I became The Vaccine Lady, I took my children to be immunized as a matter of course, without any real sense of what I was protected them against. I knew that the diseases I was hoping to shield them from were bad, but I didn’t know the path of damage they had historically torn through families’ lives. I couldn’t have told you what Hib was, how pneumococcal disease can harm babies in multiple ways, or how Hepatitis B causes cancer. I just knew that I didn’t want to learn those lessons the hard way.

It’s National Infant Immunization Week (and World Immunization Week), which means pro-vaccine advocates around the world are busy raising awareness about how important it is to get your babies and young children vaccinated. It’s also important to educate the people around you about the diseases we prevent.

That’s why our NIIW podcast is all about these diseases. While we touch on some of the statistics about diseases, we aim right for the heart of the matter by talking to two mothers whose babies caught vaccine-preventable diseases before they could be immunized. Genevieve’s son caught rotavirus and Emily’s daughter was hospitalized with pertussis.

Each mother has her own recollections of feeling powerless over disease as well as her own lessons she’d like to share with other parents. Please listen and share!

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