Andrew Mundhenk Special to the Times-News
Published 9:50 am ET April 10, 2023 | Updated 2:49 pm ET April 10, 2023

 

Pediatrician Dr. Anne Smith knows firsthand the impact diseases have on young lives that could have been prevented through routine vaccination.

“I’ve seen lives changed by meningitis,” said Smith, a physician of nearly 24 years for Hendersonville Pediatrics. “A normal baby turned out not able to talk, not able to walk, after an episode of meningitis that is now preventable with routine childhood vaccination. I’ve seen a two-month-old in the ICU turn blue from whooping cough. I’ve seen a 16-year-old who just got a new kidney die of chickenpox. Those are heartbreaking.”

Local pediatrician Anne Smith of Hendersonville Pediatrics.
I truly believe that vaccination is the most lifesaving measure we do at my office,” she added.

Smith

Pediatrician Dr. Anne Smith

 

April 24-30 marks National Infant Immunization Week – highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases. On-time vaccination is critical for protecting against potentially life-threatening diseases. Giving babies the recommended vaccinations by age two is the best way to protect them from 14 serious childhood diseases, like whooping cough, measles and more.

Hendersonville Pediatrics joins many regional providers as part of the Henderson County Immunization Coalition – committed to improving county immunization rates by eliminating barriers, sharing resources and collaborating to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Pediatricians like Dr. Smith closely follow a vaccine schedule recommended by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics for healthy babies to protect against those 14 diseases during the first two years of a child’s life.

To read the full article click here.